Exhausting, but a lot of fun!....

I have a whole, long post in mind to write up on my camp outing with Tex at Wildcat Mountain State Park.

Because it's pretty "book worthy, " in terms of length, I need to find time to sit down and write (which is easier said than done).

Here is a quick share of a few photos from the weekend. Hopefully,  I can make time in the next week or so to do the full write up! :-)

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...  :-)

Paint Nite

I've been very behind on my blogging lately...

It didn't really help that my week last week was so busy, I felt like I needed to add time to breathe into my schedule.

I did do one fun thing, however....

Paint Nite.

Paint Nite is a series of random, get togethers at various businesses (usually places that involve eating, alcohol,  entertainment,  or a combination of all three). It's a sort of crash course in creating a nice, canvas painting in a group setting.

An interested person buys tickets ahead of time to attend and participate. They are provided with all the materials (i.e brushes, paints, a paint smock, and canvas) to create a painting.  Each paint nite has a selected painting and an artist who is present to provide instruction for each person to create "their own version" of that painting.

Of course,  if the individual wishes to create a different painting or variation of the provided example, they are free to do that as well.

More information on Paint Nite can be found HERE.

As it turns out, my sister, Gayle, had coupons for any Paint Nites in the month of October. She had already done one earlier in the month and enjoyed it.

After talking about it with my mom, they decided doing one with the 3 of us together might be fun. With me being a poor horse owner and my sister a poor parent, my mom offered to buy the tickets for all of us....

At first, I wasn't completely sure I wanted to go with how crazy my daily schedule has been lately..

But...

....then I looked at the painting we would be creating and fell in love with it. Bonus points were added because it had a dog in it...(although, of course, I would have loved a cat or horse themed painting even more :-D ).

I agreed to go, thinking my apartment could definitely use a little more wall decor...

Unfortunately, when that evening finally rolled around (last Wednesday), I found myself feeling quite run down physically and under the weather. A sore throat was plaguing me and threatening to turn into a full blown, cold.

How nice (insert sarcasm).

In spite of my physical self not wanting to cooperate, I still wanted to go. I dredged my way through work,  and somehow managed to find the extra umph to get myself there (thankfully, the hosting business was close by).

Our artist's name was Laura Clark and she did a fabulous job giving us encouragement and instruction. I wish I had gotten a photo of her with the original painting.

With a few cans of Dr. Pepper (I rarely drink), and a bit of concentration, I have to say I enjoyed the evening and came away with a painting I liked.

Oh....and I almost forgot. The dog in my painting has a cat friend! :-)

...and perhaps the best part? I never got a full-blown cold, just a few little aches and pains and  that pesky sore throat.

As always -- photos are below.

Happy (Belated) National Cat Day!

So yesterday was National Cat Day.

It seems only fitting that I dedicate a blog post in honor of my sweet, feline family members (even if --sadly-- I am a day late).

For those of us cat lovers....

Our cats are best friends. They make us laugh, love, and bend over backwards daily to win their adoration...

It is said that dogs have masters and cats have staff..... ( Yes, that's true)..

Amusement aside, however, there is nothing quite like winning the affection of a cat. ♡♡♡

So....

Here's a few photos of my boys in honor of National Cat Day.

Top pic is Simon (in pursuit of a bug on the wall).

Second photo is my "Smitten Kitten" Lukus. This is one of my favorite photos of him...

...and lastly, but NEVER forgotten...my beloved Cisco. I still miss you every day. ♡♡

Unsuspecting Infraction....

I really wanted something fun to write about this week, but my energy level is at an all time low.

Things at work have been chaotic, to say the least. We have an lab audit next week,...and that, although routine, brings about its own set of stresses.

....and if being pulled over a few weeks ago for having a headlight out wasn't enough, I got round two of that yesterday while headed out to take care of Griffin.

This time it wasn't such a logical reason..

Actually, it was a pretty stupid reason if you ask me....

The car I currently own is a '07 Chevy Cobalt SS. I've owned and driven this car for almost 8 years now. For the most part, it's a fun, little sporty looking car to drive. I bought it because I am a HUGE fan of driving manual transmission vehicles.  I feel safer in them and I enjoy driving them.

In addition to this, my car also has mildly tinted windows. I bought the car with them. I also bought the car from a dealership and not a private seller.

I think I said I have driven this car for almost 8 years now.

All over the state....

I have sat next to officers at intersections,  parked next to them in parking lots, gas stations, etc.

I also had a Police officer residing in my apartment building for just under a year. He was nice. We said "Hello" often....and although I don't recall his name, I would remember him if I saw him.

Well last night, a certain female state trooper decided it was my turn to wear the bullseye.

After (quite literally) tailgating me for a good minute and a half,  she turns her lights on and decides to pull me over. Honestly, if she had been any closer to my back end and I had to stop fast, she would have (100%, without a doubt) rear - ended me...

Once captured on the side of the road, I waited a good 5 minutes before she even approached my car.

My lights were ALL in working order.

I wasn't speeding...and in fact, may have been going a few miles under due to the crummy section of highway we were on.

I wasn't drunk, drinking, smoking anything, littering, or swerving...

So seriously? What the ****?

The problem?

My car has tinted windows that she thought were too dark. She produced a meter saying I was 1% away from the legal limit.

In 8 (that's EIGHT) years, I have NEVER been told my car was tinted illegally (even during the 2 previous, minor, stops I've had with this vehicle...neither of which were speeding. I have a clean driving record).

I posed the "why?" of this question TWICE to this officer and was not given a direct answer (only stupid reasons why someone would choose to tint their windows).

I was also not allowed to see the actual meter reading.

Thankfully,  I was only given a warning. The warning also DID NOT state the meter reading.

Something about this whole interaction felt very fishy to me....and admittedly,  the jury is still out on what my next action will be. At this point,  I do not plan to alter my windows until I get another official opinion (and  confirmed measurement).

Still....This whole 25 minute escapade has faltered my trust in law enforcement.  The officer was extremely terse with me....almost if she had been angry that I wasn't, in fact, a drug dealer hiding behind my deliberately, darkened windows secretly plotting the world's demise...... (complete with a paw print magnet on the back of my car that says "All my kids have paws."). There's not a smigeon of a doubt in my mind that she was hoping she'd "get me" on something else...

...especially after reading on line statements from other officers stating that window tinting is a minor issue in my state and rarely a reason alone to make a traffic stop.

For whatever reason, this police officer did manage to succeed at one thing...

Significantly ruining my evening....

...so tonight, I am relaxing with my feline family members, putting my feet up, and treating myself to some pizza and a Dr. Pepper...

Tomorrow is another day (....and no hopefully better than the last 2)!

I have inserted photos below of my car....In the same appearance it was when I purchased it.....

Night Shift

One of the rotations I do at work comes with having the latest shift. When compared to other jobs,  it's really not as late as some, but it's late enough to generally put me in the dark by the time I arrive at the barn.

When Griffin and I arrived at Tammy's barn 10 years ago, she did not have an indoor arena. The only building was the small, main barn (...and, believe it or not, I miss those days because I like smaller barns).

It goes without saying, that Griffin and I didn't ride much during those winters simply because we didn't have any daylight left. I often satisfied our time together with long groom sessions and hand walks down the drive (which, fortunately, is pretty long so it isn't boring).

I don't recall getting a lot of snow during those winters either, so I think we were able to continue doing the walks through most of those cold months.

Having pondered about all of this in my mind recently,  I've decided to try to do that again with Griffin this winter.  The walking will be good for his healing leg and will give us that bonding time together.  I don't foresee trying to do any riding with Griffin until we hit the latter half of February or so when temperatures begin to rise again. At that time, we can try to slowly incorporate some tiny rides in as Griffin dictates when/if he is ready (and willing) to do them.

I did the first of these many, nightly hand walks on Tuesday of this last week.

It wasn't a particularly warm night, but it was clear and there was no wind. Stars flooded the sky and, overall, it was a lovely evening.

Griffin was VERY happy to be out for a stroll. He was very forward at the end of the bridle and I had to stop and back a step or two several times to request his attention. He was a good boy and did as I asked. We enjoyed each other's company and my mind drifted back to those earlier years at Tammy's when Griffin was still a middle - aged horse.

I know it would have bothered a lot of people to not be able to ride through the winter months, but I honestly can't say it ever really bothered me. My horse was happy and healthy. I was outside with my best friend and it was quiet and peaceful.

...perhaps the best part was that I didn't have any training/competition pressures and therefore had no need to worry about climbing aboard to pilot my horse while dressed like the Stay Puffed Marshmallow man from Ghostbusters.

During our walk, I also thought about camping and wished that Griffin and I had managed to find the opportunity to go while he was still able to do longer trail rides. If I have any regrets with all that my boy and I have done together, not being able to go camping will always remain the biggest one.

Still.....looking at all of the years we have shared together...

I am immensly grateful that Griffin is still part of my life and hopefully will be for a few years yet to come...

Sometimes when I can get outside and feel relaxed (and not suffer from any of my own arthritis pain) and enjoy a walk like this with Griffin --it really DOES beat even a good ride on any other horse!

Wordless Wednesday: Taking care of Griffin ♡♡