Merry Christmas To All

Merry Christmas

Not much going on here at Follywoods.

That is if you don't count the fact that I had to call the vet out because Toby colicked. I fed him his dinner at around 4 PM, he ate a bit and then dropped down like a stone in his stall. He was looking at his belly and showing all the signs of a classic colic.

I got him up and walked him for a while. All that time he was trying to go down.

Now, mind you, it was nearly 70F yesterday and wet and rainy all day. Today it was raining as well, so the whole paddock area and the arena are sopping wet. There is mud everywhere. The arena as puddles all over. It was just a mess. But the arena footing is relatively OK slipwise, so I trotted him a little on the lunge trying to get his insides working a little.

It was all to no avail because as soon as I brought him back in, he went down again in the stall. After about a half hour of this, I called the vet.

Dr. Parisio was about a half hour away on a normal day, but traffic and the weather slowed her down considerably and it was going on an hour by the time she arrived.

Just enough time for Toby to start feeling better. By the time she checked him, all his vital signs were normal. He had plenty of gut sounds and was showing no signs of pain. We opted for taking a conservative course and she gave him a low dose of banamine and told me to keep him in for the night, monitoring him often and walking/lunging him a couple times.

I checked on him for the last time around 2 AM and he looks fine. Hopefully, the crisis is over.

It does make me wonder, though, how many times he, or any of my horses, may have had bouts of colic when I wasn't there to see it. If I had not stayed in the barn after I fed this afternoon, I never would have noticed anything wrong.

This was apparently a gas colic and hopefully, not too serious. While the vet visit may have been unnecessary, I'm glad I had the old boy checked out.

Meantime, the whole episode put a crimp in my plans to make ready for Christmas. I did want to tidy the house but that got put on hold....again. No excuses here. I am a dreadful housekeeper. I'll just do what I can when daylight comes tomorrow.

I ran errands for most of today, including a trip to get hay. Then I had to go to the market twice to pick up a few things. I had intended to make my Grandmother's Christmas soup and needed mushrooms, which I forgot on the first trip to the store. Ah, well.

Anyhow, I ended up making the soup tonight. It is a strange concoction of kielbasi, saurkraut, barley, mushrooms, and prunes. I know it sounds peculiar, but it really is quite tasty. It's a middle European soup--Hungarian, Polish?? Czech? Not too sure. My Grandma was Czechoslovakian, but she had a cooking heritage from several countries. She made the soup every Christmas. She used mushrooms she picked in the woods. When she passed away, my Aunt made the soup--don't know what kind of mushrooms she used. I had to use regular white 'shrooms this time as the store didn't have any variety.

The recipe for the soup is my own version as neither my Grandma or my Aunt left a recipe. I had to experiment myself until I got a pretty darn good version.

So, the soup's done, the house is still a mess and I have to wrap presents for my family--cousins. Our tradition is to exchange gifts on Christmas Eve. We have a lasagna dinner--used to have fish up at my Grandma's house--and just enjoy the evening together.

I'll do my best to be in the barn at midnight. The legend goes that the animals can talk then. I'd like to ask Toby how his tummy feels, but more importantly, I'll tell all three Boys how much I love them.

To you and all your families and animals....Merry Christmas from the Boys and me!!