Adventure cat in training?

What is it that they say?

"Life happens when you are busy making other plans..?"

I think that should be changed to "Work will always be the biggest pain in the you - know - what when you are trying to make plans.."

I would say that I feel the same way about my job that a lot of other folks do. Some days I can really immerse myself in my duties and actually enjoy them and other days the frustration (for a variety of reasons) makes me want to go home and not come back.

Today was definitely the latter....

If a disagreement in policy with my boss wasn't bad enough, the arthritis in my knee and ankle seemed to be on the fritz today.

I had hoped to spend the evening with Griffin with plans to do a short ride with the bareback pad, a bit of hand grazing, and a long groom session.

......but when I left work, all I wanted to do was to get off my aching legs. Even the stairs leading up to my apartment provided a teeth - gritting, painful, experience.

Most of the time, my job involves a mix of both standing and sitting duties, but this month has me in the rotation that requires the most standing. My body was in full protest at the end of my shift today.

Admittedly,  there are days and times that I feel strong and able to stand and walk all day (and then some), and other times I feel like a 100 yr old lady who should be in a wheelchair (pushed by a sexy young man) instead of on my feet.

....and even though I do like my job for the most part, there are days that resentment grabs me in it's clutches and I find myself wishing that walking/standing time could be spent on the hiking trail or with my horses instead of at work.

Unfortunately,  that won't change anytime soon since it's work that pays the bills.

....but enough of that already.

Since I'm feeling cheated out of an evening with my boy, Griffin,  I thought I'd talk about my adventure cat in training.

You've most likely already read about Simon in earlier posts, but here is a photo of him from our stroll around the block last night.

When I first adopted Si, it wasn't long before I realized he was one of the most outgoing cats I had ever met.

When I introduced him to a harness and leash, he took to it more naturally than most puppies do.

He was eager to follow me just about anywhere.

.....and so our walks around the block began.

Nowadays, if I so much as pick up his harness, he is eagerly waiting by the door in anticipation of a kitty hike.

I still find it amusing when a passer by or a motorist does a double - take at us strolling along the sidewalk.

I was once asked by a teenager on a bike if I was "walking my cat."

I had to resist the urge to say  "Nah, he's a tabby Labrador who prefers to purr instead of bark."

I've always known that people put cats on harnesses to go outside with them or take them a short distance in the car, but never for an actual WALK.

Before Simon came into my life, I probably would have been doing the same sort of double take had I seen someone walking their cat.

 

Out of curiosity,  I started researching harness trained cats and somewhere along the way, I discovered this website.

http://www.adventurecats.org

(once I add photos, I haven't been able to figure out to share the actual link on my phone).

It seems that folks not only walk with their cats, but also hike trails, camp, and go on boats with their cats.

Is this cool or what?

If you enjoy looking at that site, I also urge you to check out this blog!

http://www.boltandkeel.wordpress.com

In short, the blog is about 2 (VERY) adventurous young ladies who take their two young cats on all their outdoor trips with them. They do hiking, camping, kayaking, and snowshoeing....and yes, their feline friends do it all with them.

Amazingly cool!

 Simon has yet to do anything more than walks around the block with me, but he does find some interesting places to hang out during our strolls.

Since I don't boat or even swim that much, I have no current plans to introduce Si to the basics of becoming a water cat, but I DO want to teach him to do short camp outings with me. In the future, we could perhaps do one in the spring and one in the fall.

With summer's high heat and humidity,  I would feel more comfortable avoiding that time of year (especially with the increased threat of fleas and heartworms as well. Yes- cats (and humans too) can get heartworms.  They are not just a dog parasite).

I had hoped to do a maiden voyage with Simon this year with camping, but I just haven't felt quite ready to take that plunge yet.

My mom and sister are planning a short, camp outing around the Labor Day Holiday. I am sitting this one out due to lack of vacation time (their dates are during the week following LD) as well as having to work Labor Day itself for the nice pay it provides.

Even though I won't be camping, I thought this might be the purr-fect  opportunity to introduce Simon to campsite living and a campfire. We may go for a visit one night after work!

In addition,  there are some other things I want to work out before Simon spends his first night in my tent.

I need to create a small, portable litterbox with a cover for transport and easy emptying capabilities (as in being able to empty very frequently as needed).

Si needs to spend some actual time in my tent so that I can be sure he is comfortable and I am not overfacing him with too much strangeness too soon.

I want to develop a way to carry Simon on hikes so I can do long ones with him and I will be able to carry him when he is tired. I've considered both a backpack and a diagonal carrying sling for this purpose. I need to experiment to find what works for us. Simon enjoys rides in cloth bags (and my laundry basket), so, that's not an issue.

I also would like to get Si a new harness set up. The one he has is a bit small for his chubby frame and I want something he can sleep in comfortably if necessary. It also needs to be safe and secure.

The final aspect of all this, and the hardest thing for me to address in all of this is this...

Simon's adopted brother,  Lukus.

While I continue to work on Lukus' s confidence in all things, I highly doubt he'll ever be a camping cat.

For the most part, Luk prefers a life indoors. The world outside just holds too many scary variables.

....and I'm 100% fine with that.

Lukus is my Smitten kitten. He's my sweet cuddler and is playful to the max.

As long as we're inside.

At this point, I have no desire to take Lukus along,  but leaving him home alone without his brother and best friend creates a dilemma that pulls at my heartstrings.

I need to find something special for him so he isn't feeling left out -- and create a situation that works well enough so that he gets something FUN out of the times that Si and I go camping.

This situation is probably the biggie in what is holding me back from taking that first trip with Simon. 

BOTH of my boys are just that special to me.

....and even if our camping trip never quite makes it to fruition,  Simon will still enjoy his walks..

because.....

A worn out, fat, cat is a HAPPY cat! 

(and yes my apartment has ugly, worn out carpeting.  I haven't won the lottery yet to move to a fancy, log cabin in the woods *winks*).

Things that are lacking (but are not so bad)..

When folks I meet find out that I do not own a home computer,  I am often met with a raised eyebrow or two.

When they learn that I also do not have cable television (or any public television to speak of, for that matter), I get the wide-eyed-are-you-serious? stare....

Now this post isn't going to be about how I think that people are way too dependant on electronic entertainment (because, to a degree, I do).

No.....the reason that I don't have some of the more commonplace luxuries is simply that I do not want to use my hard earned cash to pay for them. I have more important things to do with my money.

....like take care of my animals.

I think it's a common misconception that folks who have horses have money. It's because they have horses that they DON'T have any money....

Having horses is not for the faint of heart when it comes to finances. Those of us who are not well-heeled so-to-speak,  must learn to give things up in order to have horses in our lives.

On my list of items that I do without--or at least do with a lot less.....is internet service.

When I began my part lease on Tex just over a year ago, one of the things I gave up to afford to do the lease was my cell/internet service (I've never had cable TV).

At one time, I had unlimited internet access through my phone. All the Facebooking, Instagramming, and You Tubing I could handle to my heart's desire.....

My account now is a prepaid one where I have a strict limit on how much I can do on the internet each month.

Things like texts and phone calls are still unlimited (Thankfully), but I rarely watch anything on YouTube anymore and I only do Instagram and Facebook when I am somewhere that I can connect to a free, WiFi network.

Fortunately,  things like blogging and looking at a select few message boards and Internet sites are fairly easy to keep up with, even with limited data. Since they are not a continuous feed, they do not eat at my data limit the way other social media sites do...

This is perhaps why I have chosen to spend more time reading blogs and writing on my own blog, rather than reading Facebook stuff..... (less drama in a lot of blogs too).....

At any rate,  what I am trying to get at with all this babble is that while I may post here more frequently,  there will be times when my posts are going to be devoid of photos.

You see, as my data decreases, and I get closer to my billing date on the 17th of each month, my access will not allow me to upload photos to my blog because my prepaid data for the month is about spent. There is not enough left to share my photos.

I am getting much better at rationing it all out for the month, but I suspect there will always be a few days at the end of my billing cycle when I will only be able to do a type-written post like this one.

For anyone interested enough to regularly read my blog posts, I do sincerely apologize for what will be a few, occasional word only posts each month.

Pictures, of course, always make every read more enjoyable. We all know that picture-filled stories aren't just for kids...adults love them too!!

In all honesty,  I don't mind the lack of electronic entertainment in my world. My animals bring me such joy, that they are more than worth it (both the Equines and Felines)!!

I also get a LOT more done at home,  get more exercise in general, and appreciate the little things in life.

To throw out an example; I will never own a Kindle or any  other form of online book. There is something about holding an actual  book in my hand, taking in the design on the cover, and turning each page that brings a tangible sense of satisfaction that no electronic device could ever compare to..

Although much of the personal minimalism in my life is financial, there is some that comes from choice.

...and I don't think it makes me any less happy than someone who has all of the extra conveniences. In fact,  sometimes I feel I have more contentment than they do.

...but I guess that's left up to interpretation...

In retrospect,  what I  WAS going to write about today (before I became severely sidetracked by my financial/minimalism musings) was clicker training.  I have started doing it again with all of my animals.

I am not going to go into too many details since this post has already gotten pretty wordy, but I've been working on some specific things with each of my boys (Griffin, Tex, Simon, & Lukus-- they are ALL boys *smirk*) using the clicker and we are learning and having a lot of fun with it.

I will try to touch on it in my next post or two....and pictures are certainly to follow!

Stay tuned!!! :-)

Hot, humid days....and a bit of a scare!

Tex and I had a ride today that was mostly walking and lasted all of about 30 minutes, give or take. I think if he'd had his way, he wouldn't have left his place in front of that fan. The look on his face is saying "Do we have to?" (...just a short one, my man)

I gave Griffin the option of coming with me into the barn for a groom and possibly a light bath, but he wasn't interested when I went out with his halter and called for him. He wasn't overly sweaty and seemed content to eat in the sun with his buddy, Mort(*gasp* he DOES have access to shade). He knows on hot days, he only gets groomed (or a bath) so if he didn't want to come with me, I wasn't going to make him.

The temperature outside today was about 88 degrees with the heat index in the mid to upper 90's. I don't recall the exact percentage of humidity, but it was high enough to make me constantly feel like I'd just stepped out of the shower (while completely lacking the refreshing feel of a shower).

....and today was the coolest of the last 3 days.

Ugh...

Dangerous heat warnings kept me from doing much these last few days which is probably just as well since my Dad gave everyone a good scare on Friday.

Without getting into too much personal detail, my father has been struggling with some electrolyte/dietary/mineral imbalances for quite some time.

Last November he had a seizure that put him in the hospital for over a week. It took that long to get things regulated again.

Since then, he has been eating better AND doing better....but obviously it wasn't good enough, because on Friday he had another seizure that caused a pretty serious fall and knocked him unconscious. 

Thankfully (and somewhat surprisingly), the end result of that fall was only a significant goose egg to the back of his head. We've all been joking that we need to check the floor for cracks!

This seizure resulted in another 3-day stay at the hospital including bloodwork, a cat scan, and an MRI. All were normal except for the dietary deficiencies I noted above.

As I write this, he is back home,  and with some additional dietary changes and mineral supplements (and a few other changes that are too private to mention)we are hoping not to see another seizure.

Both my mom and I are skeptical that the real root of the problem has yet to rear it's ugly head. We are "trying" to trust in his doctors..

....and to complicate matters, my dad -- shall we say -- isn't always the best patient when it comes to listening to his doctors. In his working life, he'd always been a manager-- the one in charge. Listening to others does not come easy to him and he has a stubborn streak a mile wide (of which he  has dutifully passed to his oldest daughter--me. *Grins sheepishly*).

Still, with all that said-- we all love him dearly, even when he thinks we aren't taking his side (as if there are sides to be taken when it comes to the health and well being of a loved one). ♡♡

We are all praying that the recommended changes will prevent any (near)future hospital stays and that we can help dad stick to the necessary changes that need to be made.

******

On a lighter note, I did get myself out for a hike earlier in the week. 

Last Wednesday brought warm temperatures and humidity, but not quite severe enough to be dangerous (OR to discourage me from getting outside for some after work enjoyment).

So after my house chores were done, I stuffed myself into my coolest tank and capris and headed over to Devil's Lake for a hike.

There was a very mild threat of rain, so I chose an easy hike I have done many times before. I plodded along the Tumbled Rocks trail over to the south shore beach and back again (because plodding is all I do when it's sticky humid outside). 

The photos below are from my hike...

This is the North Shore beach. It's the more popular of the 2 beaches and is one of 2 ways one can take to the start of the Tumbled Rocks Trail.

This is the start of the trail. It is 2 miles from here to the South Shore beach. Going out and back, I did an uncomplicated,  4 mile hike.

While parts of the trail are sunny, there are some nice, shady sections as well. This was a wonderful reprieve in the humidity.

The Tumbled Rocks trail runs alongside the lake, so the views are pretty and listening to the waters lap the rocks is soothing to the ears.

Recent storm damage (we've had a lot of storms lately) created an unexpected obstacle. It's a good thing no one was sitting on that bench at the wrong time!

A view of the downed tree from the other side.

I snapped a photo of a person using a paddleboard out on the lake. This is on my "bucket list" to try one day!

Despite the slimy temperatures, there was actually quite a few folks out hiking.  I passed a few couples simply enjoying a hike as I was. 

In addition, another 3-4 folks passed me doing some trail running.

One gentleman was watching wildlife at one of the benches with his binoculars. 

Another gentleman approached me from behind on the trail and inquired if I lived here and if I had ever swam in the lake.

..."Yes and yes, I have..."

He then wanted to know if it was clear water and therefore suitable for scuba diving. 

I told him I have never Scuba dived, but I thought the lake fairly clear and it might be worth a try if he had the equipment and expertise to do so.....

On the South side of the lake I talked to a few other people who were fishing, but unfortunately-- the fish were not too interested in biting...

Sometimes on these more commonly used trails, it's nice to chat with people and see how they are enjoying their day.

As for now-- I am silently praying to Mother Nature to give us a break from the heat and humidity so I can try to have an enjoyable week this week. 

We shall see.....  

A Little Catch Up...

My family and I just returned from our July camp outing. Saying that makes it sound like we went hours away.....

In reality, it was only another short trip to a nearby state park. This time we stayed at Mirror Lake State Park.

Mirror Lake isn't as popular as Devil's Lake, but it's still a nice state park with decent campsites, easy hike trails, and a small, shallow beach.

We stayed for 3 nights this time, and...unlike last time, it didn't rain the majority of the time. We only had one night in which the storms found us. Unfortunately,  the humidity on this trip was about the same as last time, and just like on that stay, my hiking was only minimal.  *sigh* 

I am hoping my weekend outing at the end of August will be better in terms of weather and will afford me some good hiking.

My sister,  Gayle, bought herself a larger tent and this was her first time using it.  Her sleeping quarters were some of the largest I have seen yet. Her tent is Colossal (with a capital "C"). It has dividers to make 3 rooms and is plenty big enough for herself,  Brendan, Fiona,  and Winston (their Husky Lab X).
.....and I think they'd still have room in there for another 2-3 people and all their STUFF. My sister seems very happy with her tent.

We spent the outing mostly visiting, doing some very small hikes (mostly to the bathroom *giggles*), and goofing off with Fiona. There was silly string, water guns, and giant purple Frisbees involved. Fiona and I also had a rather engaging game of glow-in-the-dark horse shoes.
.....mostly that involved her handing me the horse shoes and telling me how to throw them. Sometimes Fiona is just too smart for her own good! 

On the horse front, I haven't been getting a whole lot of rides in with either horse. We seem to get a handful of nice, comfortable days and then a couple of real hot, humid, and sticky numbers that make me feel like I am a rainforest dweller.

I don't do a lot of riding on days like that, because frankly-- I just don't enjoy it.  With that said, however, I DO love just hanging out with my equine boys and so we spend the scorcher afternoons hand grazing, doing pampered grooming,  getting cool baths, and a lazy walk here and there.

The spring and fall months are my favorite times to ride and that's when I get the most rides in.

My phone is being a bit of a pain at the moment in letting me get all my photos attached, so I just have a few to share today with no real captions added....

Yesterday was my Holiday....

I made a promise to myself yesterday that it was going to be a minimal "chore" day and I was going to spend the day on myself. 

This was going to be my 4th of July Holiday so-to-speak (even though it was only the 3rd).

I usually get a nice paycheck if I opt to work on a holiday, so Monday would be a workday for me anyway. 

Unfortunately,  on Saturday night,  I had one of those sleepless nights that occasionally occurs when I am thinking about too many random things and just cannot. Fall. Asleep.

Nights like that suck.

So while I had hoped to get up and get my day going early in the morning, it didn't really happen that way.  I ended up playing lazy,  bed potato with my cats until about 10:30am.

All in all, that's not a bad thing--but I still didn't sleep (Ugh)....

It was going to be a caffenated, prop my eyelids open with toothpicks sort of day.

Since Griffin had my attention on Saturday,  Sunday was to be Tex's day.

We had our usual long grooming and bond session and then did some arena work with just a short ride out to the road after. 

Because my boarding barn is surrounded by DNR lands, woods and marsh, we get HORRIBLE amounts of bugs during the hottest parts of the summer. Unless you are willing to dunk your horse (and yourself) into a vat of pyrethrin, you can pretty much rule out an enjoyable ride in the woods & fields. From now until about early September,  riding in the arena and areas close to the barn are usually the best bet.

You know things are bad when the deer flies keep pace with your car (just outside the windows) while driving up to the barn.

Some years are worse than others,  and while I wouldn't say things are as bad as I have seen them,  they are annoying enough right now.

So with all that in mind,  Tex and I worked on lateral movements as well as our usual riding patterns in the arena.

Tex knows hindquarter yields fairly well, but his front end gets sticky and he is still figuring out that he can move is front half sideways while keeping the back half still.

I was even able to get him started on a few side pass steps in one direction over a ground pole (Good Boy, Tex)!!

It was a warm day, but there was a breeze and we had a nice ride.

Retrieving Tex from the pasture. He is the black horse half buried in the buffet table (round bale).

Wondering if my hands are hiding a few Nicker Snacks while I attempt to remove the fly mask (My halter doesn't fit well over his mask, so I usually remove it when I put it on).

Groom session in the cool barn with only a minimum of biting insects....Ahhhhh...

The resident ducks came to visit & briefly hung out in Daphne ' s  stall while Kris was out riding.. (Daphne stays inside during the day & goes outside at night).

When the ducks got bored, they headed to the indoor to waddle around before going back outside.

Tex all set for his ride....

Taking a break in the shade between exercises...

After going to barn, I went home for a wee nap before heading over to Christmas Mountain Resort in the Dells to watch fireworks with the family.

My fireworks photos seldom turn out well, so I didn't take any.

Fiona kept me occupied playing with her giant, soft purple frisbee. This was her second year seeing fireworks.

Last year did not go well because the noise scared her.

My sister, Gayle, has since purchased a small pair of child- size ear muffs for her, so she can enjoy loud experiences like this without being afraid of the noise (which she will grow out of with time).

At first she wasn't sure about the huge, sparkly plumes in the sky-- but with reassurance from everyone (Grandma,  Grandpa, mom,  dad and myself were all in attendance), she was enjoying them by the end....even laughing.

She didn't want them to be over!

I wish I had some cute, Fiona pics to add...but as I said I was too busy catching a frisbee beforehand to take any.

Tomorrow its back to full days at work-- but a little camp outing in a week should sweeten that deal!!

I improvise on a hike and have a difficult week

To say that my week hasn't been a happy one would be a bit of an understatement.

I've had a lot of life's little inconveniences (but necessities) get in my way of enjoying things over the last week.  While none of them were big,  life altering events,  I've had enough of the small things annoy me that I just wanted to feel sorry for myself,  throw my hands up, and give up.

....and yes, these things too, shall pass...

As much as I'd love to share my frustrations from a "therapy" standpoint,  some of it is just too personal to share here so I will just leave it at that.

Early in the week I did do a hike at Devil's Lake. My plan was to hike the 2.8 mile Johnson Moraine Trail, but at some point I misjudged where I was on trail (Note: ALWAYS take your map- even if you think you know a trail well) and I ended up hiking portions of 2 other trails as well as a service road on my way back ( in order to avoid a hill without much of a view).

In retrospect,  I should have chosen an easy, super short trail for the day because I was already dealing with some soreness issues in my body.

....but like the stubborn, Dutch lady I am, I chose to ignore what my body was telling me and do the hike I wanted anyway.

The trail had a lot of long hills as well as one or two steeper climbs. The photo above shows the start of the first long hill.

Now, I will have you know-- I took several beautiful photos of this hike (some of the prettiest I've had yet), but stupid me-- I uploaded the photos onto my blog and then went back to erase them out of gallery.

This is something I normally do after I write a blog post to keep from using up the space on my phone. Unfortunately,  as I have learned the hard way, you must actually post the writing to your blog so they will save permanently before deleting them out of your gallery or you will loose them.

I did not do this.

**sigh**

so I was left with only the reject photos I was not actually going to post.

Lesson learned.

....so I apologize for not having "prettier" pictures to post.

I'm still getting the hang of this blogging thing on my phone .....and.....at least for me, there IS a learning curve.   

This is the first trail intersection after that long hill. As you can see, the trail is marked and there is a map at (some of) the trail intersections, but you can't rely on that because some of the maps are faded and not all have your position marked well (leaving it open to guesswork).

This trail crosses over HWY DL and this section was on the other side. I took this photo right before I encountered one of the steepest hills that made my arthritic ankle cry in pain.

Hills can be challenging when you are feeling good-- but when you are already sore, they can pretty much ruin a hike.

The views were pretty though...

If only I could have shared those pictures... (sad face).

Meet Little bunny Foo-foo!!

I saw this little guy and about 20 of his cousins during my hike.

There are a LOT of rabbits out right now.

....and that is about all I have to share of this hike. I did this hike last Tuesday and haven't hiked since.

I spent the Wednesday evening after a bit sore & sick and went to bed early..

On Thursday,  it stormed in the evening, but I managed a groom session with Griffin. I would have liked to have done a walk with him, but the weather and my still being a little sore didn't allow that to happen.

I'm starting to come out of the ache-y-ness finally, so perhaps I can get a hike in sometime between seeing the horses and fireworks yet this weekend.

I hope everyone has a nice 4th of July holiday!

Hot, STEAMY day = bath day (& good conversation)

Yesterday,  the heat index soared into the 90 's as predicted. It was the hottest day we've had yet this summer. 

As I had planned, I went to the barn to give Griffin a nice bath in order to help him cope with the heat. It's not uncommon for elderly horses to have trouble in ANY temperature extreme (hot or cold). Poor Griff has decided that his dinner just doesn't taste as good when the weather is steamy.

In past summers, I had a box fan attached to Griffin's stall to help move the air around when the thermometer rose, but sadly, that is no longer the case.

..but there is a good reason for that

Tammy recently found out that having household box fans in your barn is not a safe situation. They have actually been known to cause barn fires! (Scary)!  

You see...pretty much all of your general household, box fans do not have an enclosed motor on them. Since even the cleanest barn is a (very) dusty environment, that dust becomes trapped in the motor. As it builds up, the probability of combining with electrical systems and igniting sparks increases. The spark hazard, therefore causes barn fires to start.

The solution is to buy high, quality industrial type fans that have the fan's motor safely enclosed. 

Tammy did go and buy some of these fans to put around the barn, but since they are much more costly ($80 and up), not every horse can have their own, personal fan. In addition, the electric bill on a barn with that many fans is quite expensive. 

Fortunately for Griffin,  he lives in one of the coolest sections of the barn.

In addition to that, I do try to give my sweet, old man baths on the hottest days to help lower his body temperature a bit and help him cool off.

As you can see in the photo below, Griff is tolerant of getting baths, but it isn't particularly one of his favorite things. He usually makes a few "Angry Standardbred" faces and will attempt to paw with his front legs. 

....but no matter what he will tell you *winks*, it DOES make him feel better because he perks up significantly following the bath and definitely acts more comfortable. 

A wet Mr. Griffin with a slightly, peeved expression...

....but one of the after-bath rewards is being able to graze on grass on the "other side of the fence" while drying off.

Since Griffin's human (me) does NOT like the sun, she tries to convince him that eating grass in the shade is a GREAT IDEA!

...Meanwhile, Griffin's current pasture mate,  Morton looks on-- slightly peeved that he is not on the other side of the fence as well (because,  of course, the grass is ALWAYS greener there). 

Morton is a very sweet Quarter Horse who belongs to my friend Brenda. Like Griffin, he has battled his share of health issues including some arthritis and Lyme Disease.

Brenda was kind enough to allow me some rides on Mort when Griffin injured his Stifle 2 years ago. He is a super nice boy ♡.

Griffin, of course, can NEVER be 100% convinced that the grass he covets will always live in the shade.

This is where the longe line comes in handy-- so his human mom can-- at least attempt-- to stand in some shade.

As a side note, grazing a horse this far away from you isn't a recommended thing as the horse can easily get tangled in the line, but when you have a 19 yr relationship with your senior horse, these things have a way of working out because you have developed an Awesome relationship ♡♡.

I would not try this with a horse I did not know well, nor one that did not belong to me.

Before anyone thinks I left Tex out of the equation, he too also got a decent hosing (I just didn't get any pictures because I was too busy yapping).

His owner, Vickie, came for a visit yesterday to update a few of his vaccines. Because Vickie travels all over with her horses on a variety of trail/camping rides, she prefers to vaccinate for everything.

.....so Tex received a few of the less commonly used vaccines yesterday. 

He came in from the pasture a bit sweaty from standing in the hot sun (his choice- as his huge, pasture has shade). I gave him a nice, thorough cold hose and then treated him to an extra long graze session. Unlike my picky old man, Tex was happy to graze in the shade while Vickie, Amy (another very nice boarder), and I stood around talking.

....and as things would have it, we didn't talk enough....

Vickie disappeared for a bit while I gave Griffin his bath so she could visit some other friends in the area (she lives an hour and 20min away), then we got back together and enjoyed a yummy dinner at Pizza Ranch.

We talked about horses and people we knew and everything else.

....but mostly horses....

Because Vickie and I have the same interests (horse camping and exploring trails) the conversation was very enjoyable.

The folks at my barn are wonderful,  but most of them are show riders, so it's not always easy to relate because I no longer have any show interests. I used to do some shows when I was a kid and did a few when I first got Griffin, but these days I just don't have any interest in it.  It was like a breath of fresh air to have some good trail stories & chat!

I had said earlier that our conversation while grazing Tex must not have been enough, because we met for dinner....

What I did not say is that it REALLY wasn't enough, because it was 11 pm when I finally got home last night.  

We sat around at Pizza Ranch and chatted until about 9:30 and then went and stood out in the parking lot and talked for another hour!

....maybe one day,  Vickie and I can live closer! ;-)

I had planned a longer hike this afternoon but.....

My plan after work today was to try to fit in another hike after running a few errands. I was going to do 2 Devil's Lake trails totaling just under 4 miles. 

When I arrived home, however, I was so tired having not slept much in the last 3 days (my own fault) that I took a nap instead. By the time I awoke to my cats demanding dinner, it was well after six (sorry boys).

Not wanting to give up the whole evening to doing nothing, I headed over to the lake anyway and decided to do a short trail with the remaining daylight left.

My choice was the 0.7 mile, Grotto trail on the South shore. I hiked it out and back doing an easy 1.4 miles.

.....at least is was better than not getting to hike at all.

I have explored probably just over half of the trails at Devil's Lake. By the end of this summer and into fall, I am hoping to complete all -- if not most of them.

The 2 questionable trails for me are the Potholes trail and the cc c trail (both being extremely difficult trails). I want to be a bit more fit and have some more strength built in my knee/ankle before doing those.

....and I WILL do them..

I have never done the Grottos trail before,  so exploring it tonight was a bit of a treat. It has a few easy hills and dips, but otherwise was a very wide, simple trail.

One thing that is very nice about being able to blog on my cell phone is that I can do so anywhere. The photo below is my current view as I write this!

...So much better than staring at a monitor on a desk!!

The trail had some small bridges.

The views were beautiful!! ...which is so typical of this state park. It's part of the reason so many camp and play here...

Unfortunately,  no photo I can possibly take will ever do it justice.

This last photo is the entrance to the difficult,  Potholes trail. It doesn't look hard in the photo, but when you start up it and realize just how steep it is (going straight up into the bluffs) you can see that it's not for the faint of heart.

I'm hoping I can do some "on trail" photos of the challenging, potholes trail.

Tomorrow, the weather is supposed to be a touch of storms with hot temperatures and dangerous humidity.

My old man Griffin has been quite bothered by some of the hot days we've had so far this summer ( & going off his feed a bit), so I will probably make it a nice bath/spa day for him.

 

I need to do a pony post soon...so maybe some sudsy pics tomorrow (Big Grin)!

I'm Back. Updates?

It's been awhile.

...but at least this time, I didn't give up, erase my blog, and then "start over" yet again.

I can think of a million excuses why I haven't been blogging.....

For one thing, Facebook is easier to just type a few words and be assured that my closest family and friends will read it (they don't do anything except FB, for the most part).

and yet....

I hate Facebook.

I often find it filled with negativity, drama, people attacking each other in interest groups (over the most INSANELY, stupid things I might ad)....   ...but,  I stick to it because it's easy.

Blogging should be easy, but since I don't own a computer, I find it a bit more challenging to update than Facebook.  When I start to write a post, what  I'd like to be just a short snipet about my day generally turns into a novel.  As a result, that novel ends up taking a LOT more time to write then what I had alotted for time to write in a day.

Well, I need to make more time to write -- because it sincerely is something that I enjoy.

So here goes another effort in redirecting my efforts away from the senseless drama of FB and more towards myself (i.e writing). 

I won't promise posts as interesting as some of the other blogs I enjoy reading (which are quite a few), but I am going to try to share the ups and downs of my life again with anyone with a mind to read.

I will use this post as a brief catch up to where things are in the varies aspects of my world.

Griffin
Ahhh.....my old Standardbred boy....
He's still here and so far, doing well.  His Cushings Disease seems to be under control at the moment and he seems healthy.  He shed his winter coat this spring far faster then he has in probably the last 7 or 8 years (which makes me wonder how long his Cushings went un-diagnosed).  At the moment were are getting in 1 or 2 very small, walking only, rides per week.  We hack around the arena a bit and the barnyard area.  He is still asking to go towards the woods and still showing signs of frustration when we don't.  I handwalk him down there occasionally, but he thinks we should ride there also.

I made a promise to him, that if he does well over the summer (and doesn't hurt himself AGAIN -- see previous posts), we could try a hack into the flatter sections of woods closest to the farm by this fall.  As with everything else that we do, I have learned that everything is a day at a time.  I count my blessings each and every day that he is with me and I don't have any expectations from one day to the next (and believe me that IS HARD to keep in mind).  When it comes to my animal family, he truly is my number one priority. I'd really like to see him enjoy each and every day of his golden years that he has left.  At 28years old, he as already lived a pretty good life and I want to keep giving that to him for as long as I possibly can.  Next year will mark out 20th year together!!

Tex
The situation with my lease horse, Tex, has grown into something far bigger than I ever thought it would.  Originally, I was only supposed to (part) lease Tex until June of this year (next month).  His owner was leasing another horse (that she really wanted to buy), for the year and when his owner was recovered from an injury she'd had -- she would start riding him again, and my friend would take Tex back as her sole, riding horse.

As things started to unfold, the friend's recovery did not go as rapidly as hoped and resulted in her questioning how well she would ever be able to ride again.  In addition to this, other factors in her life made her question just how much involvement she truly wanted to have with horses. Logically, she decided to sell her horse & trailer to MY friend (who wanted to buy him in the first place).

My friend, Vickie, now owns 3 horses.  Dusty (her newest mount), Tex (my lease horse), and Apache (her retired CTR horse).

Vickie knows that I would buy Tex from her in a heartbeat.

If I could afford 2 horses.

...but I can't, and Griffin must come first.

So, Vickie very kindly offered for me to continue the lease as we have been for as long as I wanted (or could). She has stated that she is not interested in selling Tex (although she would offer him for sale to me at a later date, if I was interested....which I am).

At this point and time, I am moving on with what amounts to roughly a 3/4 lease on Tex.  He is boarded at the same farm Griffin lives at and I have a horse to do longer rides and trail with.  Vickie will use him for occasional rides/trips as a backup horse for friends as those situations come up (she already has a 2 week camp trip planned with another friend in October).  I don't mind the sharing part, as I still must also make time for my old man.

I am very happy with this arrangement for a few reasons:
1)- I have a horse who is a SOLID trail horse that I can enjoy riding with friends....and even go out with alone.  Tex is a laid back, more whoa than go sort and he is truly a dream to explore trails with.
While I have lots of experience riding in arenas, showing, and doing arena involved patterns (from my youth working with other people's show horses), I have very little experience as a trail rider. I love trail riding and no longer have even the slightest desire to go to a horse show. Ever.

2.)- Because is not actually my horse on paper, I don't have the anxiety I might have trying to own owning 2 horses and dealing with funds for a major emergency should it come up (and that is not limited to just the two horses, but my personal life as well).  I still plan to have as much involvment as possible and to care for Tex as though he were my own -- but in the back of my mind, I don't have to worry about hanging onto a horse should I not be able to afford it if something major popped up in my life or that of my own animals.

3.)- I have someone to go horse camping with!!
I can't stress enough that if you are ever going to lease a horse, doing so with someone who shares you interests (...and goals) really helps.  Vickie is an incredibly experienced trail rider.  She has done Competitive Trail, Trail Trials, ridden all over the state, and camped in the mountains.

...and she is willling to let this Chicken, Novice trail rider wanna be accompany her.

Not to spoil a future blog post.....BUT
Next weekend we are camping at Wildcat Mountain State Park. It will be a couple of fun filled days of campfires, riding, and more riding!!  I have ALWAYS wanted to do this....and while there is a part of me that is saddened that it's not Griffin who will carry me on the trails -- I am excited to be able to have the opportunity to do it at all.  I have a horse I know I can trust, who I've started to bond just a little, and a friend who has the experience and knows the ropes of it all!!.....

Simon & Lukus
My cats are doing quite well and have become an amazing part of my family at home.  They are my biggest comfort when I am under the weather or feeling sad.  They make me smile.  They make me laugh. Every. Day.  I find it hard to believe I've had them almost 4 years now!!

 Lukus will be coming up on his 4th birthday at the end of the month....and like a crazy cat lady, anthropomorphic, mom, I want to do something special for him. I just dont' know quite what that will be yet.

Simon has turned into quite the lap cat and is nonstop with his purrrs (2 things that were definitely NOT a part of his personality when I got him).  I am also thinking he will make his first camping debut with me possibly next month!  Si loves being outside on his harness and he is certainly ready to be an adventure cat and test the camping waters!! 

Camping
So far, I have 3 confirmed camping outings this summer and I'm currently working on a 4th.  All of them are at nearby state parks with family with the exception of the horse outing with Vickie.

My little niece, Fiona (who is almost 3), has already developed an affinity for the outdoors.  I have a feeling the future will hold MANY camp outings with her and my sister.  She just received a new, made for her (in terms of safety) airbed, that she will be trying out on our June outing.  She has quickly outgrown the Pack N Play and is now ready to take the next step learning to be an experienced camper!

Work
It's the same. Enough said (yes, I just had to include that).

...and that's about it -- I will try to keep updates coming as often as I can....and with the summer I have planned, maybe a good adventure story or two!!

Thanks for reading...  :-)