I have the blahs so I thought I'd see if I could type.  It looks like I can!  Yay!

Why wouldn't I be able to?  Yesterday a cat bit me pretty bad.  Poor critter was scared, should have had a note on his carrier to "watch out" and I got him out to weigh him, with bad results.  After we got him anesthetized we found a nasty infected bite on his leg (looked a lot like my finger did when he was done with me) that explained his bad mood.  I probably touched his leg as I picked him up off the scale and I bet it hurt.

I think I'm going to have to go to the doctor.  Dang it.  It's hot and swollen, not unbearable and not oozing or anything, but looking online it seems like antibiotics are the prudent thing to do with a deep cat bite on a hand.

This month I was sure I was going to make it to the Mustang Club meeting (it was yesterday).  I had everything arranged just perfectly.  Then Katia's team scheduled 2 games at the last minute.  I had hoped they'd be rained out like all the other games so far, but they did end up playing.  It was a 2 hour drive each way but it was a pretty drive along the Clearwater river to Orofino.  We saw most of one game and the start of another.  They won both games!  They're playing really well.  I can't wait to see how they do for the rest of the season.  But I wish I'd been able to go to my meeting.  You'd think that I could manage to get away to do ONE thing a month, but no. 

Other than that, it's raining like crazy here, and my house is a mess.  Exciting times...

I wonder if we could grow rice here?

I took Tonka out to see how flooded the lower pasture is.  It was fun to splash around. 

 Blue was afraid of the neighbor ladies.

Some cowdog he is.

Everyone got their 5 way vaccines today and they all stood nicely while I did their shots all by myself.  Tonka's muscle felt different than the others, kinda crunchy as the needle went in.  Wonder if that's just because he was tense (he'd had his blood drawn a couple hours earlier and might have been fed up with needles) or because of the EPSM.  Interesting, anyway.  So all my spring health work is done.  Love that feeling.  And Tonka and I had a great ride. It's a good day.

The weatherman was wrong today, in all the right ways!  It was beautiful, sunny, and warm all day long.  I am still fighting the flu, so I was dizzy and nauseous all morning, seeing spots even.  Eventually I made myself get outside and do some yard work anyway.  Liam and I dug up some trees and put them in pots, hoping they'll root well enough to stay alive and be relocated.  I love our cottonwoods.  I haven't been able to successfully move one yet though.

While we were working on that I saw Bella fall down.  Actually I missed the falling down part and saw her struggling to get up.  I don't know what happened.  She wasn't even in a particularly muddy or steep spot.  When she finally got up she held her hind right leg up for a long time, trying and failing to put it down several times.  Eventually she was able to put it down enough to hobble off, and then she seemed to be moving okay, if not well.  Later she seemed like her normal self and I couldn't find any swelling or heat.  That whole episode makes me less likely to want to ride her though.  I've been leaning toward not riding her again and this just makes it more likely that she'll be retired at the ripe old age of 6.  Dang it.

Tonka and I had a good little ride today after an intensive grooming and grazing session and some warm up work on line.  We went up and down the road a ways.  Nothing real exciting, but it was a nice ride in the sunshine.  Then he got his massage and I put him up.

Yesterday was the yearly horse health clinic.  The boys had their blood drawn for health certificates and Tonka is getting a test done for trace mineral levels.  They both got their strangles vaccines because I hate doing intranasal vaccines myself.  The vet is so fast they don't know what hit them.  Afterward I ran to town and came home to a message that Tonka's blood didn't spin down correctly so we'll have to go back in and have it drawn again.  No biggie, these things happen.

I wish this good weather was going to hang around but it looks like we're in for a lot more rain this week.  Yuck.

Tonka and I went on a snow ride today.  It just looks wet and miserable in the pictures but really it wasn't.  It was peaceful and quiet.  The snow was falling pretty thick and it was very calming to just sit there and watch it come down.

Our ponds are pretty full and the old cedar fencing is much worse off after the winter.  More work to do this year.

I finally took a picture of my new chinks but it doesn't show them very well.  I really was grateful for them today though.  Not only did they keep me warm and dry, they gripped my saddle really well too.  (Shh, don't tell Tonka I told you because he might be embarassed, but he did have a big spook today, poor guy.)

 

Well, that's about all I've got for now. Happy Spring!

I've gotten back in the groove with the horses and it feels great!  Today Tonka got his exercise and a long massage (I'm going to be spending a lot of time rubbing this horse's arse in hopes it helps his muscles), and John and Scout joined us for a walk around the property.  Yesterday I rode both Tonka and Scout.  Scout was such a good boy!  You wouldn't have known he'd had months off, which is pretty good for a coming 4 year old.  Tonka saw the chiropractor yesterday so I only rode him for a couple minutes before our appointment.  He'd been stiff on his right side, and now that's all better.  Liam rode Soxy a bunch yesterday, and the chiro's daughter got a good long ride too.  Soxy seems to have more stamina now that she's out with the rowdy bunch getting more exercise.  Last week was a good week with the horses too.  It's all good.  :)

I'm not much in the mood for a long blog post but hopefully soon I'll get back in the blogging groove too.  At least now I'll have horse stuff to talk about!

Something to think about today.

Our local animal shelters are no-kill shelters.  Which made it easier for me when I had to take that stray dog in there last year.  Thinking in terms of individual animals it makes it easier to know they aren't going to die.

BUT...  Our shelters are full a lot of the time, and they just turn people away.  There aren't enough adopters.  I heard a story today that really opened my eyes to why this isn't good.  There was an older person who was so overrun with cats it had become a health concern.  Some well-meaning neighbors took the time and expended the effort to catch the cats (with permission from the owner), and they took them to the shelter.  They were turned away.  No alternatives offered, just turned away.  So the cats were taken out and shot.  Humane?  I'd prefer a lethal injection.  But then I don't think euthanasia is that big a deal.  The critter doesn't fear death, doesn't even know what death is.  In most cases it's painless and it is very quick.  On the other hand, I don't know how good a shot that person was with the cats.  A bullet could go wrong in a lot of horrible ways.  How sad.

What do you think about no-kill or kill shelters?

On another note, and a much happier one, I got another job yesterday!  Totally out of the blue, thanks to a recommendation from my trainer friend.  I'm going to assist our local equine dentist.  She travels all over the place but I'm just helping out here at home. It's very part time, and it won't make a huge difference in the bank account, but it will be so much fun and I'll learn a lot.  She's a regular vet too, but specializes in equine dentistry now, and I think I heard she was a farrier at one time as well.  So there are all sorts of opportunities for learning.  Love it!

On another happy note today, I got to spend lots of time with Mama Cat, who has been MIA a lot lately (don't worry, she's spayed).  She let me start her annual shearing, and I got about half of her back and legs, and even some of her belly clipped.  I just use scissors and stay patient.  My clippers don't work right, and I'm not sure she'd tolerate them.  She just sat there and purred and loved it, until she didn't anymore, and then she was DONE.  That's about how it usually works.  :)

Liam rode old Soxy today and Tonka came out to play too.  I helped spay and neuter 4 dogs and 6 cats. Made chili for dinner and then shaved the cat.  I'd say that's a pretty good day.  Oh, and the sun was shining and it was WARM!  :)

Please watch this.  All of it.

 I haven't had much time or anything interesting for blogging lately.  So I figured I'd take some pictures to write about.  Above (because I just finally went to the new version of Blogger and haven't figured it out yet) are our two hens - Blackbeard and Blondie. Not a very interesting picture but it is fun to have them escort me out to the barn in the morning.  And that means the weather is nice enough for them to come out and forage and quit pooping on all my stuff in the barn, which is very nice.  Das, one of our original hens, is still here and going strong, although not laying.  Her daughter Peekaboo was in a nest this morning, so maybe I'll get an egg.  They're so good at hiding them, and the dogs are so good at finding them, that an egg for us is a very rare occasion.  :)

These girls next door have been dropping babies right and left.  It was strange, they really got going the night we had very cold temperatures - lots of babies the next morning.  Poor critters, born into this cold world.  They all seem healthy though, as far as I can tell. I feel lucky to have them next door for me to watch.  Soon they'll start having crazy calf races, I love that!

 Despite my optimistic last post, my arm is still very painful and not very usable.  I've lost so much strength trying to baby it and make it better.  My current tactic is to take a lot of ibuprofen and use it anyway.  But I also broke down and got a lighter saddle yesterday.  Just a cheap used Fabtron.  It's so light I can toss it around no problem.  It seems to fit Tonka like a glove, but not Scout. 

My good Huckleberry in the brush: 

Blue is getting big!

 

He's an annoying little brother.

But he's still super cute.

And very intense at times.

India is the cuddliest dog ever.

So sweet.

Blue is a pest.  India tells him off but he knows she's all bark.

 

India's arthritis is getting a lot worse.  I took her to the vet I work for and she thought we'd be lucky if she makes it another couple months.  She is getting slower to get up, and easier to fall down.  She is in a lot of pain too, even with meds, but she still happily runs around outside and she still eats, although not as much.  So it's not time yet, but I can see it getting closer.

I'm still working at the Spay Neuter Clinic and loving it.  I may get a paid position there soon.  I hope so, it would really help with the finances.  I've been doing a lot of eBay selling for John. That can be interesting when I don't know much about what I'm selling.  Luckily eBay has a lot of the information on cell phones already there for me to use.  I've been reading a fair amount but am now almost out of books - any suggestions?  I also got my house pretty well in order but you know how long that lasts when you have kids.  I still have some painting to do too.

Saturday was Shearing Day out at my friend's farm.  Even though it's work I always enjoy it.  John and Katia came along too this time.  They both had fun.  John got to spend the day "sheep tipping" as he put it, and Katia helped with skirting.  She did a good job, didn't have to be nagged to get her butt in gear.  :)  She liked the work and wants to keep doing more stuff like it, so she's going to help me with the garden this year.  (Little did she know she was going to help me with that anyway.) 

This update seems to be getting a little boring so I'm off!  Hopefully I'll have some horse adventures to report soon, now that I have a saddle I can lift. :)