The Dew Man

Okay, so it's apparently been almost 2 years since I've blogged. You're welcome. I'm seriously going to try and start again.

It’s weird how one fleeting little thought can change your whole mood for the night, but more on that later. I’m warning you now: This blog post will have strong horse content. Those of you that are not interested in the animals may think I’m crazy, if you already don’t, which I’m sure most of you do.

I worked at my job at an insurance company until 5:00 today. I was staring down the barrel of a week of time off for staycation. I was elated when the clock finally rolled around to five, and I got out of there. My new apartment is a whopping 3 blocks of backroads away from my work, so by 5:05 I was home and dragging the mattress off my bed into the living room. I had been dreaming of lying in there and watching TV, eating junk food, and not even feeling guilty. I love living so close to work, but my current horse, Whiskey, moved to Warsaw, and it has been surprisingly tough on me not getting to see him every day like before. 

Speaking of horses, coming up on my week off is fun night for the rodeo. It is always something I look forward to, since it is something I always get to do with my bff Sam and other girls that share my passion for horses. It is also a good time to get the horse warmed up to being at an event. Sam had mentioned a couple of weeks ago that she wasn’t sure if she would be there, as her horse had some stuff going on, and she wasn’t sure if she had to work. I texted her today to see if there were any developments, and she still hadn’t decided.

I got into bed, and was milling over ways I could convince her to come, and the mood-changing thought popped into my head... “I’ll just offer to bring Dewey and she can ride him.” For anyone who didn’t know, Dewey passed away a few months ago. I was not necessarily expecting it at that time, but he was not in good shape, and I knew it was time for him to go when he went down and couldn’t get back up. I got to say goodbye to my poor old guy, but it was very hard for me to do. At first, when the thought came, I laughed it off in my head a little. How could I forget something that I have literally thought about every day since he left me?

I texted Sam to tell her that I was delusional, and all of a sudden it was like someone turned the faucet on. I haven’t cried for him since a few days after he passed. I was surprisingly at peace with his passing, and while it was hard, I was able to let go comfortably after a few days. It was almost a relief when I lost him, as I worried about him daily. In his old age he had gotten skinny and ratty. He had declined pretty quickly. So when the tears came rolling down my face, it caught me off guard. What had made me cry? As I mentioned, I look at his picture every day at work, and think of him, but hadn’t felt like this since when he actually passed.

The more I thought about it, the more upset I got. It wasn’t just ridiculous that I thought Sam riding him was an option because he is, you know, not alive, but because he was 27 and in horrible shape. He wouldn’t have made it 5 minutes at fun night. One thing led to another and next thing I know I am not just crying a little, but hysterically crying laying in my bed. I was thinking of all of the negative things: how bad he looked, how I should have done more to help him, how I wasn’t able to be there when he was put down, and how I couldn’t even tell you when the last ride I ever got to take on him was. I realized that all this time, I have been dwelling on the bad of Dewey’s passing, and have forgotten all the good.

Dewey and I were never that harmonious teenage girl and her horse that would do anything for her that you see in the movies. Not even close. We were the poster children for a love/hate relationship. I loved him more than I could ever put into words, but his day to day shenanigans were enough to make me hate him. He pretty much just hated me all the time unless I was bringing him food, and even then he was skeptical. When I first got him, he was an angel for about 2 weeks, and then the real Dewey came out. After about a year, we finally worked through (most of) our differences, and began to get along (this is a relative term). He still tested me, and I still got mad at him, but we mostly had each other figured out. He didn’t do things because I asked him to, he did them because he knew it was easier than fighting with me, because I would eventually win.

In our trials, Dewey taught me more than any horse ever could, and tonight I challenged myself to turn my sad tears into happy ones, and start remembering him in the times that he made me happy, instead of just remembering how horrible he looked and probably felt.

I loved bringing him to dad’s house and riding in the fields around there. We would race cars on the highway, and he always impressed me with his creek crossing skills. He was not a trail horse, by any means, but we usually got along when we were in the big fields together.

I loved riding him with Halleigh. We went to the arena one time, and she was having trouble getting her horse to cooperate, and Dewey took off in the prettiest, smoothest little collected canter that he ever did in his whole life probably, and Halleigh asked me how I did that. I didn’t know. It was all him. We had many eventful rides, with lots of laughs and fun.

I loved the winter I decided I was going to teach myself to canter bareback. I didn’t fall off once (though I almost did about 155 times). He would get to trotting so fast that the cold air would make my eyes water, and then I couldn’t see, so we would have to stop. I’ll never forget the first time I got him to break into a canter, and I stuck with him and stayed on.

I loved how I gave riding lessons on him, and he was a totally different horse with a kid on his back than he was with me. He always took such care of any kids I ever let on him. It’s funny how horses know when they are carrying precious cargo.

I loved how he was deathly afraid of flags the whole time I had him, and one summer night I decided I was going to change that. It took a little time, but within a half hour I was riding him and carrying a flag.

I could go on with this trend for hours, but I won’t here. He was such an influence on my life, and I don’t know what I would have done without him. Now I have Whiskey, and am in the works of getting another mare that will be a project, but I’m crossing my fingers that she will work out for me. I’ve learned that every horse you get on can teach you something different, and Dewey taught me a lot more lessons than any others.

I can only hope that I will see my old guy again one day. I’m sure if animals do get to heaven, he is fat, slick, grazing to his heart’s content, and dreading the day I show up again. Until then I will do my best to hold onto the happy memories, and try to let go of the bad ones about him. I have had Whiskey over a year, but feel like we are still getting to know each other, and I am excited to see the things he will teach me. Maybe in the future I can document everything he has done for me too, just like this.

Thanks for sticking with me, I know it’s probably hard to listed to my rambling about horses.

Bad Luck!

Well, as the title of this post illustrates, I have run into some bad luck this week. Nothing monumental, its just one of those situations where a lot of little things come together to ruin your day.

It all started Monday morning. I thought my schedule at work was to be only Monday night and Saturday, so I was planning on having an easy work week to correspond with a busy school week. I had a midterm to do, plus the regular week's homework. I also have a second interview with an insurance company in Springfield on Monday (I am moving to Marshfield now, in case you haven't heard. Right now I am still working in Warsaw.), so that adds a little stress to the week.

Monday I got up to head to the ranch and feed horses. While everything with the horses and babies went smoothly that morning, I managed to pinch my finger in a gate, resulting in a blood blister that I had to pop a few times. I also got stung by a wasp on my upper arm.

I got home and made my breakfast and was excited for a day to lounge until I had to work at 4. Shortly after 10, I got a text from my assistant manager at work asking if I was coming in, as I was supposed to be there at 10. I went ahead and got ready and went into work, only to find that my easy 12 hour week had turned into a 30 hour week. I don't mind the extra hours, but it would have been nice to know.

Work went by slowly but surely, and I got home for the night. I tried to fire up my nook to read, and it was frozen. I had some issues with that a couple of weeks ago, but resolved them. No cheese this time though. The nook is now enroute back to its home to get fixed.

Tuesday morning at the ranch, I let a horse escape (on accident, of course), and had to chase her down. She only got out into the alley that runs between paddocks, so she couldn't have gotten OUT out, but I still had to chase her down.

I had to go to work again as soon as I got home, so I warmed some biscuits from the day before while I was getting ready. As I was getting them out of the oven, I burned my arm on the cookie sheet. Then, while changing clothes, I noticed that my wasp sting from the day before had created a giant red welt that stretched almost from elbow to shoulder, and it was itchy and hot to boot.

After work, Sam and I had horse riding lessons in Cole Camp. We got there a little late and got our horses tacked up. About 30 seconds into our ride, my horse tripped and fell down to her knees, sending me in front of the saddle and hanging off of the side of her neck. I managed to right myself back to the middle of her, but I was still in front of the saddle. The horse put her head down, and I though to myself (quote) "I'm going to be a baller and just slide down her neck and land on my feet." I started to slide, and I thought I was going to make it when my center of gravity suddenly transferred to my head, and I faceplanted right into the dirt. We all had a good laugh after that one, but I was a little sore on Wednesday morning.

Wednesday, thankfully, my day went fine and my streak of bad luck was over. Hopefully that maxed me out for a while.

Summer Plans or Lack Thereof...

Wow, I have been pretty slack on my blog. Hopefully this summer I will be able to get back into it and keep it up!

What is new in my life you ask? A lot. I believe my last post was about finally getting a dog. I have had Jax for over a year now, and I think that everyone in the family (except Olivia) has come to enjoy him being around. Jax goes everywhere he can with me. He loves running errands with me in town or going over to my best friend Sam's house to play with her dogs. He even goes out on the boat with us sometimes. He isn't too fond of getting in the water, but he loves having the wind in his beard while we are riding around. Dad has gotten quite attatched to him and they love snoozing in the recliner together. I keep urging Dad to get his own dog so that when Jax and I move he won't be lonely, but he does not go for that idea. Jax makes us giggle a lot because of his weirdness. His favorite thing to do is to run laps at top speed around the couch. He has damaged the lamp a few times by knocking it off the table, but we still laugh and laugh every time he starts running. Overall, dog ownership is everything that I thought it would be and more, and I don't know what I would do without my little rat.

Dad and Jax enjoying an evening of relaxation

Jax lost his back end one night in the couch...

Then we found it under the bed.

I have also had a few new job oppertunities come into my life. While I continue to keep my main job at Orscheln, I also secured a job at a Thoroughbred ranch about 5 minutes away from my house. I love the job because I am able to work with the horses and do my own thing without being bothered. It is a joy for me to get to work around horses, not to mention that we get to play with babies in the spring! Currently we have 4 mare and foal pairs, all of which are adorable! I love my time at the ranch no matter what I am doing.

Our first colt of the season. I unofficially call him 'Chunk' because he is HUGE for his age.

Chunk and his mom, Indian Pass running for the fence at evening feeding time.

Recently, I have started pet sitting. I have had almost every day booked since I started, which has made me a very busy girl! I have had many clients, and got to enjoy the company of many different pooches (and so has Jax!). Jax really enjoys playing with the other dogs, and it makes me happy to see him so happy. I hope to expand the business into a job that I could do primarily for a while, but we will see where it goes.

Jax and his favorite client, Lilly, owned by Jason and Melinda Huffman. Jax and Lilly will play all day if you let them.

Speaking of pets, last fall I aquired a new horse. Her name is Candy, and she is an Off-Track Thoroughbed, and she is a BIG girl. Her shoulder is about 5'6", so you can imagine where her head ends up. It is a little different from riding Dewey (who is just a bit bigger than a pony). I am leasing her from a salon owner in Sedalia. I honestly haven't ridden Candy much, since she is a little out of practice. She is a very sweet horse, but she just needs a little work. Hopefully this summer I can get her back into practice and we can start jumping.

My big girl!

 

 

My spare time is spent doing whatever I want to do! My sisters and I recieved Silver Dollar City season passes for Christmas from Mom and Dad, so we have been trying to go every chance we get. Stefanie, Josh, Elin, and I went on Wednesday, and had a wonderful day. There were no lines, it wasn't too hot, and Elin was wonderful. We had a great day! Sam and I have also started riding lessons together. She is learning to jump, and I am getting back into it. We both look forward to Tuesday nights all week. It is always fun to ride, but even more fun to get to ride with your best friend.

 

 

Well, I think that about sums up my life at the moment. I promise to continue blogging through the summer! Thanks for reading!

 

Dog Days Are Just Beginning

Remember that overly dramatic post about how bad I wanted a dog? Well as many of you know, my wish finally came true. Jax joined the family in March, a few weeks after Dad's bike wreck.

Jax on the first day I got him.

When we first brought him home he was pretty shy. It took him a little longer than I expected for him to get settled in. When he was left home alone with dad, he would act scared and depressed for some reason, but none of us could quite figure him out. Jax is a schnauzer, a breed known for it's hyperactive tendencies and yappy barking, but Jax does not possess either of these traits. How this happened, I don't know, but I am NOT complaining. He is a very well behaved little guy. I found him on Craigslist, and I always joke that a Craigslist dog could have gone a lot of ways, but we got really lucky.

I absolutley LOVE having a dog. My parents always used to tell me that if I couldn't clean the litterbox for the cats (It obviously doesn't bother them because the cat count around here just keeps increasing), then I wouldn't ever want to take a dog to go potty, but even that doesn't bother me at all (...well sometimes at 7:00 a.m. it does)! It is nice to have someone to follow me around the house when I am home alone all day, and it makes me feel a tiny bit less crazy when talking to him and not just myself. It is also wonderful to have someone super excited to greet you at the door when you get home. I can't understand how people don't like dogs!!

Speaking of not liking dogs, we have to remember that I am not the only one in this house. Like I said, Jax wasn't too fond of Dad in the first month or so, but I came home from riding horses last night and Jax had been invited to lay in Dad's bed with him, and Jax was more than happy to accept! I think Dad likes him more than he lets on. They are pretty much best buds. Mom doesn't really interact with him, though she did comment that she didn't smell him the other day (a big step for her!!). Stefanie doesn't have a problem with him, but he still stays restrained when they are here. Stefanie and I agree that he does not need to be around Elin until she is big enough to decide whether she wants him around her or not. Olivia is not fond of him at all, but we all expected that ;).

Jax and I have our little daily rituals, we wake up and have some cuddle time in the recliner while watching Spongebob (mature, I know.). Every Tuesday, we join Sam, and her two dogs, Rascal and Delilah at the dog park in Sedalia, followed by a Redbox movie at Sam's apartment. All in all, dog ownership is everything I hoped it would be, and I never regret it.

Our first time at the dog park!

It's a rawhide stick, but you have to laugh!

Looking very sophisticated (and angry) with our new hair cut!

Being adorable as always!

Now that I am done acting like my dog a is a child and probably boring you to death, I am going to bed!

The Ground is Always Harder on the Other Side of the Gravel Pile

For those of you that have not heard the news or story, I thought I would do a little blog to sum it up, and also to reflect on the events of my night alone in Warsaw.

On my way home from school on Thursday, I recieved a call from my mom telling me that dad had a bicycle wreck and needed to go to the hospital to get stitches and because his back hurt. She told me that she was on a walk and trying to get back home, and that I would need to stop by the funeral home where Barry Edwards had him waiting. I promptly called my sisters to tell them the news.

Turns out that Dad was trying to jump a pile of gravel along the trail and had misjudged the height and steepness of the pile. His front tire hit the ground and he went flying over the handlebars, landing on his head. He said that he jumped right up and then realized that he was hurt so he layed back down. A couple walking on the trail happened to come by and help him to the end of the trail with his bike, where Barry would pick him up.

Mom finally arrived, we switched Dad to a different vehicle, and I went to get my stuff out of the car. In reaction to this my mom scrunched up her face and said "Well we aren't both going are we?" I took this as a hint and got in my car to head home.

My first update was that they were doing a cat scan on his neck, and were going to staple the head wound. This worried me a little, but I assured myself that he would be fine.

My next update came as a little bit more of a shock to everyone involved. Dad had fractured 2 vertebre, his C6 and C7. He would be transfered to Columbia so a specialist could look at him. Mom told me to pack our things and head that direction. Shortly after this, I was told that I would not be going to Columbia, but just bringing Mom's stuff to Sedalia and going back home. Olivia wanted me to come stay with her in Warrensburg, but Mom wanted me home just in case she needed anything else.

I arrived back home about midnight, took a shower and got into bed. I didn't fall asleep until about 1, and update texts from mom kept me between being awake and in a light sleep for the next hour or so.

At about 2:30, I recieved a weather alert text from KY3 stating that Benton County was in a Severe Thunderstorm Warning. To anyone that knows me well, you see why this presented a problem. I am very scared of storms, not to mention in the middle of the night when I am by myself. I told myself if I could just fall asleep before it started that I would be fine. Of course, ten minutes later I started to hear the hail on the skylight in the bathroom. I got up, putting a hoodie on with my PJ's and moved to Mom and Dad's bed to watch the weather, but of course, the TV wouldn't work because of the storm. Right at this point, my somewhat maternal instinct kicked in when I realized my cats were outside.

At first, I told myself they would be okay. Bob had been through much worse before, and Gilbert was probably hanging around with him, so he would be alright too, but as I listened to the thunder and hail, I climbed back out of bed and plopped out to the garage. I opened the storm door and Gilbert appeared almost instantly, literally soaked to the bone and dripping water. Bob, however, did not come up. I poked my head out and called him, but nothing changed. I called a few more times and then closed the door, getting Gibbs some food and talking to him in complete human scentences as if he were going to reply in the same fashion. I decided that Bob would be alright, and started to go back inside. Guilt washed over me as I turned one more time and saw Gibbs trying to dry his soaking wet coat off, so I walked over to the door one more time to yell for Bob, and there he was. He rushed inside, dripping cold water just like Gilbert had been.

Now that I knew they were safe, I went back inside and crawled into my bed. Sleep did not decide to grace me until about 4:30, where I fell into a deep slumber from my long night. Mom then texted me at about 7, telling me the good news that dad would not have to have surgery. About 8 hours later, they were home safe and sound, both knocked out sleeping.

Dad has to wear a neck brace 24/7 for 6 weeks and got three staples in his head, but generally is doing well. He has been awake most of the day so far, and is talking to Stefaine now. At times like this, you really think about the blessings in life. Our family was lucky that dad was sent home without surgery, and we all realized that we have the best friends in the world. Of course we want to offer a special thanks to Barry Edwards and family, Chris and the Riley family for being ready to go at any minute and bringing dinner last night, the Million's who contributed to dinner and brought dad a recliner, and Bill and Cynthia Wood for the food and good company today. These people have been wonderful, and we appreciate it more than you will ever know. Thanks to everyone for the prayers, and I will try to keep you all updated!

No Good Very Bad Day:(

I know that I have not blogged in FOREVER, but I truly have had nothing to blog about. When all your life consists of is going from bed to school to bed to work, not a lot of exciting things happen. Today, however, I have had bad luck that I deem blog worthy. My day went as follows:

I woke up early, but left my house late. I got to school on time, but just barely. My Music Appreciation class was quite dry, and I was fighting that urge to just close my eyes for a minute. That is not close to the worst part.

My Music App class got out late, leaving me 10 minutes to get to my car, get to the Ag building and re-park. I did this fairly quickly, leaving myself just enough time to use the restroom. I climbed out of my car, shoving the keys in my hoodie pocket and slinging my 30 pound backpack onto my shoulders.

I went inside and did my business, and as I was trying to lug my huge backpack on, my keys fell out of my pocket. My eyes grew wide as I evaluated the possibility of my keys dropping into the flushing toilet. I wheeled around and sighed in relief as I saw my keys laying on the floor. I bent over to pick them up thinking about how lucky I was when I heard it. Rrrrriiiiiiiip. That's right. I ripped my pants.

Luckily, it was not my crotch or crack that ripped, but more in the inner/upper thigh. I assessed the damage and decided that I could make it to my next two classes without running to get new pants as long as I walked like a duck and sat very still.

Ag and Public Speaking were uneventful, and as soon as I was let out I sped over to JC Penny (I figured it was better to try on pants before I ate rather than after) to purchase a new pair of jeans. After trying on what felt like 82 pair (too small, mom jeans, legs too straight, ugly pockets, mom jeans, too big, mom jeans), I finally found a pair of semi cute and comfortable jeans that would get me through my day. While trying on all these pants, I also noticed that the rip in my jeans had grown about 1 1/2 inches. I left the store, new jeans in hand, and continued with my day.

After lunch, I went to the school library to use my computer for a while, and at about 4:15 realized that I had forgotten to go to Staples to get paintbrushes before my art class at 5. I rushed over and back, arriving just in time for my class, and also just as it started to rain. Now picture this: Me with my backpack on, paintbrushes and a 2'x3' sketch pad in one hand and an umbrella in the other, walking down the sidewalk in the pouring rain. Ew.

All in all, I made it through class and home safely, and am now curled up in the chair with cookies in hand. From this warm, dry, and rip free place, I can look back on my day and just giggle. Thursday will be better!

Mass Hysteria

I had a pretty rough day today. When my 4:30 "You have two hours until you need to leave for work" alarm went off, I knew it was not going to be the best day ever. I arrived at work, we opened 30 minutes early, and I was ready to tear my eyeballs out by 9:00. The day at work was uneventful, making it even harder for the time to go by quickly.

On my lunch break, I stopped by the vet's office to see if I could bring Dewey in for coggins when I got off work. They said that it would be fine if I arrived around 4:30, so now with fresh horse-realted anxiety I went back to work for the last two hours of my day.

I ended up leaving work a little late, and arrived at Dewey's about ten minutes behind schedule. I hooked up the trailer as fast as humanly possible (It took me multiple tries and wasted more time than needed), and headed to the pasture. All the horses (Including Dewey) were plopping up to the gate looking happy to see me, until Dewey spotted the rope in my back pocket.

He turned on a dime and took off running in the oppisite direction. More time wasted. I am sure glad that you couldn't see that part of the pasture from the highway, because I am pretty sure I looked like and idiot sprinting across the field dragging a grumpy horse.

As we arrived back at the trailer, I began to feel wet. Wet? It's sunny.. I looked around and opened the trailer door as a torrential downpour started. This continued for about 10-15 minutes, but I didnt have time to wait it our. Dewey walked right up to the trailer, put two feet inside, and then promptly raised his head and backed out of the trailer as fast as he could. He backed up about another hundred feed, without me touching or making any kind of advance. I was soaked, he was soaked, and tears were starting to form. Mass hysteria. So the battle begins. Lets just say we did not make it to the vet by 4:30. Or at all.

I decided (Dewey did not agree) that we should go for a ride now that he ruined the appointment. I saddled him up and put him on the longe line. He acted as if he was a wild horse that had never had human contact or a saddle on before. He took off bucking, rearing, jumping, and just making a complete idiot of himself. After his little fit, I finally got him going somewhat forward, with a few hops and bucks in between. I mustered up the courage to get on him after his fit, and we got along fine. Time to try the trailer again.

In the next half hour, not only would Dewey not get in the trailer, but he would not get near it. I had to coax him with food to even get him close. Once he realized that he could stand close to the trailer without me actually trying to get him to go in it, he was okay. I let him eat a little while and calm down from his fit and ride.

I tried to get him into the trailer using food, trotting him up to it, switching tack, and even looping a rope around his back legs to pull him into it. He would not budge. The only direction he would move was backwards. By this point I was thinking, "I wonder how much of my homework I could have had done by now..."

But as all horse people, and even some non-horse owners know and understand: You CANNOT let the horse win. This just teaches them that next time you want them in the trailer, they dont have to go, because you will give up eventually. Horses can either make an evening really great or really bad. Problem is that they get to decide which one it comes out to be.

I sat there and stared at Dewey for a while, and he stared back. It was now not a battle of stregnth, it was a battle of wit and endurance. Who would give up first?

Then the lightbulb clicked. When dad and I load him together, I stand in the trailer and pull, while dad stands behind Dewey and smacks his rear. Obviously, by myself I could not use this strategy in quite the same way, but I figured something out.

I clicked a rope onto his halter and threaded it through the front window of the trailer, and around the outside. This gave me the leverage and ability to pull from inside the trailer while standing outside with Dewey. I pulled on him with one hand while smacking his butt with the other. After tons of hesitation and trying to mow me over to get around the trailer, I finally got some ground. Front feet in.... shoots back out. *facepalm*

I try again. Three feet in... shoots back out. Once more. All feet in... shoots back out.

Then FINALLY an act of God happens. All feet in.......... no backing out. Sniff the bucket.... Oh! Food!. I jumped in and closed the slant as fast as possible and got him all set up. I then collapse onto the ground in triumph. I use this system two or three more times until he just lets me lead him in.

Two and a half hours later, finally satisfied, I put Dew back out with his friends. You know what I said before about how a horse can make an evening or can ruin one, but the horse gets to decide? Well I lied. You get to decide what to do after they make their decision. They can choose to ruin the evening, but you can let them, or teach them. And while you are trying to teach them, you just might learn something yourself. So now I am laying in bed physically (and emotionally) exhausted from my day and evening, but I have a little smirk on my face because I won. I found something that worked and got the results I wanted, and now I get to feel like I actually did something productive with my evening.