Thou Shalt Not Whine - NOT

Ok, first for a short whine fest. Yeah, yeah, I know - Mom's 11th commandment is thou shalt not whine. Ok. Works for the kids, but what if you're the Mom that made the rule? Guess that means I can bend it a little.

The washer died. The freezer went kaput. The dryer is gimping on it's last leg. My father's funeral is Saturday. The teenage girls are stretching their boundaries and giving us more gray hairs. It rained almost all last week. The garage couldn't fix the truck because it wouldn't NOT start for them. We asked the oldest daughter to spread her wings and fly. I went for a ride on Elias and found that we aren't matched and now I'm trying to rehome him. I'm waking up with me teeth hurting because I'm grinding them so hard. (The tooth I broke in half last October is killing me... ) I woke up with a huge cold sore on my bottom and top lip this morning. I'm stressed to the max.

Ok. Sigh. Done.

Anyways, we are getting a new fridge, calling in the repair man for the washer and my husband is trying out a new ride as his is finally falling apart.

The ride with Elias wasn't a total wreck, but just really made clear to me that his idea of a ride and my idea of a ride aren't even on the same planet, maybe not even in the same universe.

The mare left on Sunday. It was a sadness and a blessing. She will be missed. But she is going to a wonderful farm in Maine where she will become part of a regular schedule and be ridden and used by a lady who loves her.

Elias is missing his mare. His first reason for not wanting to leave the barn. He is barn sour, to a small degree. He did go, without too much of a fuss, but really, really wanted to get back. My friend Lxxx went out with me on her mare, and we went around the back pasture a few times. He was doing well, but feeling VERY good and wanted to GO! So we walked around out back and he started getting a little antsy about going back to the barn. When I put on the brakes, he was trying to convince me that he wanted to GO! So we turned around to go back around the woods. Then he wanted to trot. After a couple of paces, he tried slipping into a canter. When I pulled him back to a walk, he got a little light in the front end and my heart really started thumping. I put him on a tight left rein and turned him in a circle, with his head almost to my knee. He only turned once before he stopped and looked at me, questioning, "Why can't we GO!!!?" I got off. My knees were shaking. He is 16.3 hands. HE is TALL.

So, to let him know that he couldn't act up and get his way, I led him down the hill into the gravel pit, walked around down there a little bit (where we were going to RIDE) and then had him walk up the hill behind me. He had his best ground manners on. He walked the whole way with his nose on my shoulder and didn't crowd me or push me or do circles around me.

I was upset and I was crying. I just wanted a horse that would go out for a quiet walk. He needs a job. When I turned him back out in the pasture, he was cantering around in circles and figure 8's and had a wonderful head set and a perfect extended, floating trot. He needs a job. He wants to work every day. He wants to go, and go, and go.

So, if you know anyone who is looking for a work partner, he is sane, sound and can do lessons, flat work and jumping. He has shoes on all 4 and I have his papers. (And yes, I talked to Cxxxxxxxx, his old mom, who told me she was unable to take him back and I could place him in a good home.) :( Sigh. He is a gentle giant. A true, sweet soul.

So, when we got back to the house, since we had only rode for about 15 minutes, I rode up with Lxxx to her house and rode Mr. Reliable. Mr. Old Steady Eddy who is almost (may be) 30. The quarter horse gelding that I love. That I should have taken instead of Elias. Live and learn. We went for a wonderful 2 hour trail ride, walking along paths in the woods, next to the stream, through the field (with a few cantering steps thrown in for good measure) and then back home. It was a wonderful confidence builder.

NOPE! Please don't email or call. I am NOT looking for a horse. I still have Buddy and the ponies. Elias isn't gone yet. And I'm going to be very, very, very picky about what I take next. Maybe I won't take another until Buddy is gone.

Going to bed as the day tomorrow is going to be long and I need to catch up on some sleep I have been missing. Maybe this weekend I'll get in another ride on Buddy. He seems to be doing better and not lame or limping in the morning. Think old age is catching up to him, too. He's 29 this spring....

oh, where, oh, where does all the time go???

Time is such a fleeting commodity. I have my day all planned out, then someone throws in a money wrench and I'm set back hours, if not days, in my quest to get the things done that I need to do.

I'm on the hopes that as soon as school gets out the sports schedules will slow down and some of the chores that I need to do are going to be delegated to my teenage daughters.

The washer died. The freezer kicked the bucket. The dryer is acting up. The mare was picked up this weekend :) and the baby chicks are making a huge mess every day. It's surprising how much work 8 tiny beings can create!

So, I did go for a ride this weekend. It didn't start off so well, but finished great. I'll write more later today if I can find the time before I fall asleep in front of the computer. Sigh. Just not enough energy.

I also started mowing my mother's 1 square acre lawn. My father used to do it, but since he has passed away, she needed someone else. It's 16, 682 steps (according to the pedometer) and I do it in two days, a couple of hours each time.

So, today is my day off - except for the usual chores and picking up the girls and meeting a friend of mine for a late lunch. Groan. All I want to do is go back to bed.

Oh, well. Onward and forward. Keeping one foot moving in front of the other.

Featured Rescue.. one I help support

New England Equine Rescues, a 501(c)3 non-profit equine crisis intervention organization, founded in 2005, is dedicated to helping ALL horses. NEER is always in need of good adoptive homes, foster homes, volunteers, transport, advice, referrals and as much support as we can get to help STOP the abuse, neglect and slaughter of horses. NEER is 100% volunteer - nobody is paid.

Please visit www.newenglandequinerescues.com to see the horses that are most in need of help! Titan, Denarius, Chino & Gus (just to name a few!)

We are also located on www.petfinder.com (02874 zip code).

Don't have room for a horse? Would love to help, but don't know how? There are many ways to help - and all donations are tax deductible! Visit www.newenglandequinerescues.com/waystohelp.htm to see how you CAN help the horses!

Covering Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, Massachusetts, Connecticut and Rhode Island.

Rain, Rain, Rain, and more, yep, Rain

It's raining.... again :( So, what do horse people do when it rain? Go tack shop hopping.

Went to Bradford and my friend got a great deal on a saddle. Gasp. More than my house payment. Good for her - she's been looking for a long time and found one 1/2 off!

I just bought wormer. :) The boys will be so, so happy.

Then to Kellyville to exchange a girth that was a little bit too short.

My flea bitten gray is now brown. Mud baths seem to work so well on him. He's out running around with the ponies. Kicking up his heels. I left them in yesterday, but they wanted OUT today.

It's supposed to rain tomorrow. Again. Sigh.

Then Smokey is going to the Library to meet all the kids on Saturday.

I'm looking forward to school being over and my teeth being pulled. Then I can ride all summer.

Stay dry - no webbed feet!

Daylight is Wasting...

It seems that there are just not enough hours in the day to get the chores done and then have time to sit at the computer at night after supper and doing all the chores. I seem to be falling asleep as soon as dinner is done.

Chickens are in - I will post pictures :)

Building the chicken coop. Running around after the horses. Doing extra animal sitting jobs.

Will write more later today :)

What a Busy Week!

Wow. Sorry. Can't believe it has been four days since I posted. I've been running around like crazy. Sunday, we worked around the farm until, exhausted, I dropped into bed. The weekend caught up with me on Monday, and I did a few things around napping most of the day. Tuesday and Wednesday I worked all day and today I am hanging around the house. The freezer died on Tuesday :( So today I am cooking a turkey :) I'm working on cleaning out the cellar-way to make room for the things that go there from the porch. The porch needs to be cleaned off because the chickie-babies come tomorrow. I don't have to work tomorrow because I put my hours in on Wednesday. I have also been cleaning out half the pole barn from the winter storage to build a chicken coop. And, of course, I bought the wrong chicken wire. I need 5 foot - sigh - I bought 3 foot. Another chore :(

The girls are still doing softball. We are trying to get wood cut and split and stacked to dry for winter. Trying to get the lawn mowed. Trying to fix fences to put the horses out in the big pasture now that some grass has grown. Too many chores, too much to do in spring.

And this weekend, we are having someone come with equipment to help us move composted manure to where the garden is going to be and having that rototilled. Then I will have to hire my nephews to 'harvest' the rocks that will be sure to come to the surface. Then plant the garden.

Ok, now I'm tired enough from just thinking about it to go back to take another nap.

Oh, and we need to set up the pool. Sigh. The chores never end. And that is all on top of the normal, regular chores that need to be done every day. Feed the horses. Hay the horses. Grain the horses. Water the horses. Grain the chickens. Water the chickens. Feed the barn cat. Clean the stalls. Clean the water tanks. Feed the dogs. Water the dogs. Feed the cats. Water the cats. Feed the birds. Water the birds. Clean the cages. Pick up the girls from softball. Watch the softball games. Go to work. Go to work. Do your chores. Eat. Sleep. Clean the house....... ok, you get the picture... Sigh. No wonder I want to take a nap :)

On the other hand, the skinny gelding is doing well. He is enjoying some brushing and treats and his coat is already starting to get shiny. He's still got a long way to go, but he is doing well!

Ok, enough of a coffee break. Need to finish checking my email real quick - delete, delete, read, delete, delete, read, etc.

Hope you had a great week!

Happy Mother's Day!

Hope everyone had a wonderful day. My husband and daughters took me out to a local restaurant and we had the buffet. It was wonderful, as usual.

My biggest gift today was all the daughters were gone and just my husband and I worked around the farm. We got some strapping and chicken wire so I can make my chicken house. I got all the fences moved around and reset after winter. We got all the sumac cut down. We cleaned the area for the pool to be set up. I got the door off the run in shed.

Tomorrow, after the cordless drill is charged and since I found my big stapler, I can put the new chicken area together.

I'm going to clean the clutter off the front porch so the baby chickens can stay out there until they are feathered out so I can breathe.

I'm going riding tomorrow! One way or another.

Hope everyone had a great day :)