Laminitis?

Toby and the Vet

When I went out for very late feed after midnight, Toby did not come into the barn. I checked and found him lying down in the sandy floored run in shed in the arena. He was looking at his belly and at first, I thought he was colicking.  But then, I offered him some feed and he ate it. For him, that was a sure sign it was not colic.

I put a halter and lead on him, and encouraged him to get up. He did, but did not want to walk at all. He was very unsteady and unsure of every step, and finally refused to budge without my forcing him.

My first thought--laminitis.  There wasn't much to do at that time of the night/morning, so I left him alone and came back into the house to spend sleepless hours until it was a decent time to call the vet.  The new woman vet from the office called me back and after I told her what was going on decided she'd better come right away. She was nearly an hour away, but headed over and arrived by around 10 AM.

When we went into the barn, Toby was lying down in his stall in the bed of fresh shavings I'd put in.  Dr. McAndrews immediately checked him for signs of colic, our first worry, but ruled that out. So, we got him up and eventually led him outside where her further exam with hoof testers showed him to be sore in both front toe areas, a pretty clear indication of lamina inflammation. She then gave him a dose of injectable bute.

Then the doctor took xrays of both front feet. Fortunately there was no sign of rotation, so that was good.  And, with the bute, Toby was already looking much happier and comfortable.

Dr. McAndrews then decided to put some foam pads on Toby's feet which she secured with Elastoplast and duct tape.  He will be staying in for the week with a restricted diet, bute and the pads with a follow-up visit on Thursday or Friday. The vet believes Toby will need a set of shoes for a few weeks--his soles are thin and she wants to be sure his hoofs heal well.  However, she will also consult with Scott, my farrier, to see what he recommends. There are many options at this point.

It looks to be a very mild case, so far, and hopefully all will be well. I've been giving Toby a lot of feed--with the vet's approval and recommendation--so that could be the cause.  But there are many other possibilities. I plan on adjusting his diet, so any suggestions are welcome. He is on a low carb ration with beet pulp and some alfalfa cubes now. I have a grass hay/timothy mix as well.  My pasture is not lush, but with all the rain we've been having, the grass does tend to grow, although Toby has never had a problem with that before.

Still, he is older now and metabolisms do change. We may put him on some Cushing's medication any how, but for now we are going to see how he does by the end of the week.

Regular readers of this blog will recall I posted that I was a little concerned about Toby's behavior over the last week or so. Now I know why.

This is one more example of how important it is to really "know your horse."  It is one of the advantages of having the horses in the backyard as you do get to see them all the time. When I boarded, was was at the barn almost every day and tried to keep an eye on how my horses acted at feed time, turnout, etc., so I would be able to spot issues before they became serious. Good barn managers will often do the same for each horse in their care, but I still believe it's the owner's ultimate responsibility.

I never could quite understand "absentee owners" who only showed up infrequently, yet claimed to really care about their horses.  What a heavy burden that leaves on barn management.

Something to think about.

All On a Summer Day

I Am Well Adjusted

I had a chiropractor appointment this morning, so I am feeling quite good at this point. I had my afternoon swim and my lazy river ride and I'm a happy camper.

Except that my car's air conditioning is not working right. I hope to take it in tomorrow sometime to have it checked. Hopefully it's just a minor problem as sometimes it works and sometimes it doesn't.  Could be it's just low on coolant or something simple like that....I hope!!

I have some catnip growing by the back door and I picked some for my kitties. Rather than a lot of excited play, the herb seemed to have a more calming effect. There was a bit of wrestling, and then Scooter decided to take command of the greenery.

 This is Scooter, totally under the spell of the catnip. He spent the evening sleeping with his head on it. And again, today, with some newly picked stuff, he has taken control and once again is lying on it.

 

Maenwhile, outside, Chance is off by himself grazing in the paddock. As you can see, my grass is pretty sparse. It keeps the Boys occupied, but doesn't pose a "too much grass" threat.

Here is the mown lawn but you can still see the weeds that need some kind of tending.  They are in areas where I cannot take the mower.

And, just for a bit of color, some of the lilies by the front paddock.

Basically, I have to let nature kind of take over around here as there is no way I can keep things trimmed to perfection.

I guess it's enough to try to keep the forest at bay.

Lovely Summer Morning

So I Mowed the Grass

When I went out to feed the Boys in the morning, it was cool, dry, and lovely out. Rather a surprise, actually as that is not typical for New Jersey lately.

So I decided to take advantage of the weather and mow the lawn. It was rather a boring way to spend the morning, but I certainly do like the looks of my yard after a mowing.  However, there are weeds and tall grass growing in all kinds of places where I cannot take the mower.  I have a number of tree stumps, etc. around.

I came in for breakfast and then went back out to do some weedwhacking with my electric string trimmer.  I didn't overdo this time, so the front bank still needs to be done as do areas on the front lawn. And in the back, where I used to put my garden--before the attack of the tomato eating groundhog--there is a lot of trimming yet to do.

As they say, I'll get around to it--eventually.

I didn't do much cleaning inside today, but somehow managed to use up the rest of the early afternoon until it was time for my swim. This time I fed the horses before I left for the pool. They seemed quite pleased by that.  Of course, they are generally always pleased when I show up to feed.

Did my ten laps, my leg exercises, and then some turns around the Lazy River.

I finally ended up going to the supermarket to get some more onions to make soup.  I am cooking it now, even as I write. After it's done, I will puree it...kind of an alternative texture for onion soup, but delicious.  The pot will feed me for several days.

Yum!

No News Is Good News

And Yet Time Marches On

I am getting in some nice swims every day.  I look at the weather forecast to see if and when the thunderstorms are going to arrive and plan my trip to the pool around them.

Other than that, I sent to demo saddle back to Ansur yesterday and did some shopping on the way home. There were swimsuit separates on sale at JC Penney and I ended up buying something there. I now have an extensive collection of swimsuits to wear to the pool.  I have lost count, actually, but I love to mix and match tops and bottoms and to wear "the color of the day" as the mood strikes me. Silly, but kind of fun.

It's hot here, but not overbearing.  Still, I haven't mustered the energy to go out to mow the lawn. With the rain, it needs it badly. Instead, I am cleaning the house in stages, rather than all at once.  This way it's not so overwhelming. And, I need to keep in mind that I also need to be sure things are arranged in a "handicap" friendly style so that when I have my surgery, I will not be too challenged.

Strangely enough, my knee surgeon's office just sent me a letter today scheduling a post surgery appointment in October. Talk about advance planning.  It does make everything a bit more real, however.

And yet, I am actually kind of looking forward to it all. Not so much the surgery or recovery or rehab work, but for the ultimate results. I've been lucky enough to meet a number of people who have had successful replacements and are simply thrilled with the results. Of course, I want to be able to ride the Boys without pain, but I have another goal in mind as a top priority.

My goal? I want to be able to run again. I don't mean far, and I don't mean serious jogging. I just mean being able to run. It might only be from the barn to the house to keep from getting too wet in a rainstorm, or it might mean running alongside my horse for a vet exam or the farrier.  Right now, I can manage one or two emergency steps at speed and even then I run the risk of having a knee collapse on me. Strangely enough, I have had several dreams where I run.  I find myself jogging home from the end of my road, or somewhere else nearby.  I don't know if it's connected, but I guess running...or not being able to run...is on my mind somewhere.

So, the day I can run again will be a big one.  Here's looking forward to it!

To New York and Back

Saddle Demo

A bit over two hours of driving got me to my Ansur saddle demo a half hour early.  My client had her horse groomed, but not tacked up as planned.  No problem there. Her nice Morgan mare was rather easy to get settled for the trial rides.

We tried my old Classic first, as my client was considering buying it.  But her mare was not too keen on it. So we tried the new Classic and again, her mare was not thrilled.  The underside of the Classics has little structure and some horses---though not many--I've run into do not like the super close contact of that saddle style.

So, we moved on to the Excel and the mare was definitely happier, but since this was a larger seat size, my client just didn't feel comfortable herself. We wanted to see if the larger seat was better for her, but as soon as we put the petite Excel on her horse, it was clear that was the saddle she needed.   We finished up with the Carlton, another saddle she liked--enough to try to buy it from me.

But, if someone comes here to ride with me, that's the saddle I would use on one of the horses--with the Excel on the other horse.  The Carlton offers a lot of security and is my second choice saddle at the moment, so it's not for sale.

My client is pretty well set on buying an Excel within a few months, so that's good. Right now, the Ansur "factory" is really backed up and it's taking months for the saddles to get made. I know it's frustrating for buyers, but there's not much we can do about it.  Success does have its consequences.

Demo over, I drove the two plus hours back home, relaxed for a bit, fed the Boys and then headed to the swimming pool for my workout.

The water felt great and I got some good exercise.

It was a long day, but hopefully productive.

Swim and Saddle Cleaning

The Rains Come and Go

I was supposed to drive up to New York for an Ansur saddle demo today, but it has rained so hard and so much up the, my client's arena was flooded.  We have postponed the demo until things dry out.

But that doesn't mean I didn't do some saddle cleaning. Even with covers on them, it's amazing how much dust my saddles pick up in the barn.  The two I don't use much for riding--but I do use for demos--are particularly susceptible.  One is done and polished up and the others, I hope, just need a touch up.

If finally was an OK day for a swim, although now, again, it's starting to look as if a stray thunderstorm might move in. (The forecast says, "no," but you never know for sure.)  The pool was probably closed much of the rest of the week.  I had headed out one afternoon once the rain stopped only to hear thunder off the west, so I didn't even bother trying.

Today, the water felt good. I did my laps and my leg exercises and then lazed around the lazy river.

Tucker and Chance were out grazing in the paddock when I got home and Toby was hanging out in Chance's stall.  He's been acting just a little strangely lately--often being off by himself instead of with the herd.  He's eating well, but just not quite as perky as I'm used to.  I'm keeping a close eye on him.  I just might be the flies and the heat today, though....or the mosquitoes which are quite prolific with all the rain.  I have the fans on in the barn, so it's quite nice in there, which may be the appeal.  He did go out to the pasture the other day when it was cool and breezy and was out there last night when I went out for late feed, so he's not stuck in the barn.    And, he nickered to me when I went in with dinner tonight. He's just not quite acting like the Toby I have known for years.

As I said, I'll keep an eye on him.

I am currently being pestered by a furry black and white cat who wants me to play with the laser pointer with him.  He just loves chasing the little red light all over the place and seems quite entertained even though he can never catch it. When I am working at the computer, he sits by my chair and then stands up on his hind feet to bat at my arm to get my attention. Then he fixes his eyes on mine with this most adorable, pleading expression until I pick up the pointer and start a game.

There's always the potential for fun at Follywoods!

And Then Comes the Rain

Oh Well, Not Exactly a Dry Summer

I don't mind getting wet as my swimming will attest, but swimming usually requires a pool.  Right now, I could practically swim through the air.

First, imagine tropical humidity, clouds and then repeated downpours. To say it's getting soggy here is understating the obvious.

Strangely enough, my friend Stacie who lives about 40 minutes south of me has been suffering a near drought and actually welcomed the shower she had yesterday.

The Boys are hanging out in the barn, sort of. Toby seems to be inside a stall, Tucker is under the east run in shed and Chance seems to have managed to find a spot alongside him, maybe totally under the roof.  Often, all that Chance is permitted by the "big Boys" is his head under shelter, but apparently this time he has permission to join the herd.

Now, this is not the only shelter. There is the run in in the arena, and the other side of the barn with another run in and Chance's stall. But it just goes to prove the herd instinct is a powerful force in the equine community. Instead of choosing a nice dry place all his own, Chance would rather be "third man out" with the other two.

When the weather is fine, I will often see Chance off by himself. Just yesterday, Toby and Tucker were in the barn in the same stall together, and Chance was quite a ways off in the pasture grazing. Another time, Toby was in his stall alone while Tucker and Chance were off on the other side of the barn grazing in the paddock. There's no real pattern of togetherness until, it seems the weather or some other event challenges the equine comfort zone, and then the little herd bands together.

The Boys depend on each other in times of "crisis," whether it be a blizzard or an "attack" of the wild turkeys.

I wonder if they'd let me join them if I needed support troops?

Pay to Play

There's Always a Price

Well, I woke up this morning sore and stiff in my knees.  I'm pretty sure it was the riding, since I didn't do anything else out of the ordinary.

This does not mean I will not ride again, but I must admit I as a bit surprised at how hard it was to walk once I dragged myself out of bed. It was not muscles...it was definitely my knee joints. They were complaining mightily.

By afternoon, with some Tylenol in me and a bit of exercising, I decided I'd head off to the pool for the opening weekday of the season.  To my delight, there was practically no one there and for my first seven laps I was the only one in the big pool.  I did a long session of bicycle kicks, did my leg exercises under water, swam the last three laps and headed for the lazy river.

Cruising around in my comfy tube was a lovely end to the afternoon, but I did get a little pink from the sun. Not exactly sunburn, but a little color. Might be that three circuits are too much in the afternoon. But  it just felt so peaceful and relaxing that I didn't want to get out.

Headed home, fed the Boys and opted out of another ride.  We'll see how I feel tomorrow.

I just have to take it one day at a time.

Tucker Shines

And He Forgets Nothing

It was a lovely, warm but not too humid day and every time I went outside I kept thinking--it's perfect for riding.

So, I did.

Now, I've not been in the saddle for how long? A month? Well, close to. The Boys have just been hanging out with an occasional--very occasional lunge.  My knees are frustrating the heck out of me and by the time I get the barn chores done, I'm not up for much else.

But not today. So I coaxed Tucker into the barn, slipped his halter on and put him on the crossties.  The first "shines" in my heading refers to his coat. It absolutely glistens in a dark bay glow.  Since he has been wearing his flysheet, he needed minimal grooming--just a quick brush and a good overall spray with fly spray. It's a new brand that's supposed to be organic.  Don't know if it really works well or if the flies were not bad at all today but we didn't have any bug issues to speak of.

I led him out to the arena, and up to the new mounting platform. What a treasure that is. All I had to do was step into the stirrup at the level of the platform and ease down into the saddle. Great, as that's one of the problems my bad knees present--mounting.  Not sure how it will be for Chance, but stepping down into the stirrup will be easier than pulling myself up into the saddle, that's for sure.

We started off walking on a totally loose rein with no contact. Tucker moved off nicely and was striding out without any urging from me at all. After a few minutes of walk, I asked for trot. Off we went, again with no contact at all.

Tuck was very forward, but after once or twice around the arena, all on his own, he stretched down his head, looking for the bit.  Very interesting. Given the option of no contact at all he wanted some and took my hand without my asking.   I took a little hold, and he kept a nice forward trot.

The only little flaw in that part of the ride was my first change of rein from right to left. I made the mistake of hand riding instead of using my leg for the turn to the left and Tuck fell out on his right shoulder a bit too much.  As soon as I used my seat and thigh for the turn, he was fine and from that point on I remembered my proper riding and all was well.

Just as a test, I asked for a little canter, and on the left, Tuck moved right off with none of the "ears back, I don't want to" resistance at all.  We didn't do much since I know he is not fit, but lovely. Then, I asked for a little right lead--the one he's been very resistant about. Once again, no problem.  Both canters were nice and forward and again, reaching for the bit.

We transitioned back to trot and I asked for just a bit more frame and balance. From that, as a test, we did one shoulder-in on the right and one on the left and then a little test of half pass on each rein.  Tuck was spot on and quite ready to perform.

All this might have taken 10-15 minutes maximum, and it was just enough for Tucker to get wet under the saddle pad, but not too sweaty elsewhere.  A nice sponge off, a fat carrot and the work was done.

So what? My delight is on two issues. First, again that even after such a long layoff, my boy responds correctly to the aids and has not forgotten anything he's learned. Thus, he is actually trained.  For the second, I am quite pleased with his willingness to go forward and pick up those canters without too much fuss. I know he has some hock problems and it's quite possible that if I keep working him, pushing for more and more collection in dressage, he will get sore and lose his cooperative attitude. But, for now, he felt good and it was actually fun to ride him.

My knees were OK in the saddle and I didn't feel awful when I dismounted. Could be some of the exercises I am doing to prepare for my surgery are helping, or I could have just had a good day.  A 10 minute ride isn't much, but even in such a short session, I can accomplish a lot. If I feel up to it tomorrow, I may ride Chance.

In the meantime, I'll just bask in the glory of Tucker's unexpectedly gleaming personality.

Late Breakfast and a Swim

Saturday Sun

I met my friend, now Doctor Shelley, for a late breakfast.  We sat and talked about, among other things, the state of education in New Jersey and around the country. Suffice ti to say that for two rather inventive people like us, it's all very frustrating.

I won't go into it all here, but standardized tests and conventional "in the box" thinking, are not our style. Both have limited the quality of education our students receive here in the US, and things don't look too promising for the future. Shelley has officially retired from her administrative job but wants to find another in an innovative school system where she can develop new programs and encourage teachers and students to explore creative options.  She has a challenging job search ahead of her.

After brunch, I did a little shopping, then headed home.

I didn't do much productive once I got home, but eventually, I headed out to the swimming pool.  There I did my ten laps and a long session of bicycle kicks before coming back home. The pool will be open daily on Thursday upcoming, so I'll be able to do daily exercise as long as the weather's good.  My plan, as noted before is to get my body and my legs in top condition for my knee replacement surgery.  Swimming is perfect as it's one of the few exercises I can do without putting impact stress on my joints.

I also have some leg exercises to do at home.  I'm not really good about repetitive exercises as I just find them boring.  I'd much rather be doing something, or going somewhere as exercise. If I could find a way to do the exercises and actually accomplish something at the same time, it would be so much easier. But, PT exercises are something I am going to have to face and deal with after my replacements, so I'd better find a way to get used to it again.

Any suggestions will be appreciated.

Faces To Greet Me

Morning at Follywoods

Since nothing much is happening of note here with the Boys, I decided to appreciate the small moments.

If the Boys are at the barn when I go out to feed in the morning. 

First to greet me is a sleepy Toby.  His stall is closest to the feed room door.

Tucker looks contemplative as he waits for breakfast.

And Chance? Well, he looks as if he just got out of bed. *lol*

The barn swallows are getting really agitated when I go into the barn. I haven't really looked at the nests but I thought the fledglings were learning to fly--or about to. I guess the moms and dads are about as worried as parents letting their teenagers take the car out alone for the first time. Tried to get a picture, but they are too fast on the  wing.

Side note here. I opted for a second party energy supplier for my electric power. The other day, when my April/May bill came, I had a charge for electricity. But, my solar panels had been in full operation and according to the meter reading, I was actually producing more power than I used, so I should have had a credit. At that point, I went back and reviewed all the bills I'd gotten before switching over, to discover I'd been wrongly charged on all but one of them.

So, I called the second party energy company. The promised to look into it.  Then I called my primary service provider, PSEG.  As soon as I told them what had happened, they said, "Uh oh." Apparently, they had been having a lot of trouble with second party providers and solar energy systems.  They gave me a special number to call, which I did.

I then had to call back the second party company to explain to them what had happened. The rep there told me he needed to see all my past bills in order to straighten things out, as they "never actually get to see the bills."  Huh?  He wanted me to either email or fax over any bills I felt were in dispute.

Now, I am not a math genius, nor am I an accountant. Figuring out kilowatt charges and tax is not exactly my area of expertise. I told him that I was rather annoyed they I was going to have to spend my time calculating their errors when they were the ones who had made the mistakes. He proceeded to blame PSEG and the meter readings that somehow resulted in a "glitch" in their system.

I ask you.--how can you mistake a -432 kwh (yes, that's negative energy use), or charge for both energy produced and energy used on another bill?. The "mistakes" were not even consistent.  

Then, when I again said that it was going to be a pain to review all my bills dating back to November, he said, "Well, it's going to be extra work for us to examine them too and make the adjustments."

HEY!! You are the "service" provider, remember? YOU are the ones who promised me that there would be no problem if I had solar energy. YOU are the ones who guaranteed me that my energy costs would be lower with your company. The extra work is YOUR fault, not mine. I don't care if you have to work to clear up the mess. You owe me money and I want it back. (Well, I didn't say that, but I surely did think it--shouting and all.)

The solution is that this poor beleaguered employee will have to look over the bills I faxed over--after using my printer and ink to make copies off the Internet since I wasn't able to download the PDF files. And he will have to do the math which I will have to check. And they are going to have to pay me back.  And, at their suggestion--which was my plan all along--I am ending my business with them.

I have my calculator ready. I can do the math, even though it's not my strongest skill.

Meanwhile, it's one more lesson on the sorry state of some US businesses who seem to have forgotten just what it means to provide customer service.

Hold Your Horses

How To Open a Gate

And keep the Boys inside?  That is the question. In order to get the tractor in the paddock, I need to prop open the gate, drive through, and then get back off the tractor and close the gate.

All is well if the horses are "somewhere else."

I was clearing up the fallen tree limbs, at last, and I needed to drag a few of them into the woods.  But to do that, I needed to get into the paddock.  The first branch was a cinch...sort of...although I almost took down the wires to the house when I pulled it off the magnolia tree where it had fallen. Once again bless the tractor since the limb was too heavy for me to move on my own. But the wires stayed put and I hooked the tow rope up to the branch and off we went.

The horses were on the other side of the barn, so I got in just fine and even managed to get out the pasture gate to the field.  I dragged the limb to the edge of the woods and then used the front end loader to lift it into the woods.  One down.

But, the sound of the tractor attracted my "snoopervisory" committee and now I had three horses hot on the trail of the tractor and even hotter on the trial of the opening of the gate.

My horses do not "shoo" away when I wave my arms, or make a fuss. Actually they just stand there looking at me, quite amused by my antics. Obviously, I am more "horse TV" than any kind of threat.

But I have an intimidation factor at hand in the form of a lunge whip in the barn.  Not that a lunge whip actually has much more power to fend them off for very long but at least it can send them galloping off far enough that I can get the gate open wide enough to ease the tractor through, and then--letting the tractor block the opening--get the gate closed behind us before the frolicking pair--Tucker and Chance--can slip out into the back yard.

Needless to say, on trip through the gate had alerted them, so I decided to dispose of several of the other broken limbs on the far edge of my property in the wooded area in front of the front paddock. It's not an ideal spot, but the branches are well out of the way and in an overgrown section of trees and brush.

Then, I had another large branch to take out to the woods again, so I hooked it up and headed for the gate. This time, all three Boys were out in the far side of the pasture.  All well and good, so again, I got through the gate the first time.  I drove the tractor out to the pasture to head for the woods and it was just too enticing.

Three horses came galloping towards me.  Suddenly, the tractor, tree limb, and I were surrounded by my little curious herd, ready to "help" in any way they could by--eating the tractor, eating the tree limb, and trying to climb into the front end loader.

Then, of course, when I finally managed to fend them off to toss the tree branch into the woods over the fence, I had to fend them off again so I could get back out the gate.

I carted the last bunch of branches out to the front where I didn't have to contend with the Boys.

Every job is an extra challenge when your horses decide to "help."

Rain and Chill

And Again With The Power

It has really cooled off.  On the plus side, I did finish stripping the stalls. At the moment, none of the Boys has much bedding in their stalls, but all the floors have rubber mats, and they just kind of go in there to stand when the days are hot.

Which the days are not, at the moment. In fact, it was so chilly last night that I ended up under a blanket. I had the window open and had to close it by about 4 AM or so.

While I was still wide awake, because I'd been tossing and turning since midnight. Why?  Because once again the electricity had gone off.  I can certainly cope with flashlights and my neat little headlamp for light, but out here in the country, with a well and a pump run by electricity, no power means no water.  Again, I can cope with my bottled supply, but I do worry about the horses. Filling a 50 gallon water trough--should it get hot again--is not an easy task when there is no water beyond what I have set aside in two 5 gallon plastic containers.  I lay awake thinking of ways to get water should I need it, including going over to the sandpit next door to carry water back in the five gallon containers.....  This train of thought, of course, led me to considering all kinds of emergency solutions to potential future power outages.  What to do? How to plan?  Will my generator run the pump if I turn everything else off?

Then, at some point, the power company's truck pulled up to the wires just past my driveway.  That was the spot where I heard that strange sound and the flaring blue light during the thunderstorm.  When I'd gone out to the mailbox yesterday, I saw a loosely draped wire sagging from the poles.  Apparently, there was something wrong there as the truck stayed for nearly an hour, lights flashing and the lift bucket groaning as it went up and down.

Shortly after the truck left, the power surged on for about a minute, then things flashed on and off again, and all went dark. Then it all happened again. Each time, as it did, I heard that strange sound--kind of a combination of a low pitched buzz and a tympani drum roll.  I called the power company to tell them about the sound, and the representative assured me it was just what the power sounded like when it went through the wires.

H-m-m-m....if that was so, then why didn't it sound like that all the time?  Apparently, the repair crews had discovered some bare wires along the road. What I'm guessing is that from time to time, wet tree branches were hitting the wet spots and shorting out the system.  What I was hearing was a short circuit, not a normal power flow.

Somewhere between 5 AM and 6 AM, the lights came back on, and this time quietly.  And so far, they have stayed on.

I usually do not have so many power outages, so all this is a bit surprising. But, if the wires around here are old, perhaps this latest series of incidents is a good thing.  Perhaps they have put some replacement wiring in up and now we will be OK during the wet weather.

You never quite know how much you depend on electricity until you lose it.

Raging Thunderstorm

And a Semi-Break in the Heat

Today is a little easier on the heat than yesterday when temperatures soared and it was humid.  The Boys spent all day hanging out in the barn by the fans.  I tried to sponge them off, but they kept walking off.  Instead, I just fly sprayed they legs and let them decide how to spend the afternoon.

But last evening was another story. A huge thunderstorm hit us.  First there was a powerful blast of winds--enough to knock down another tree branch by the garage and to blow apart my Rubbermaid garbage can shed. (Note here, that the little shed had its lid up, so I guess that kind of acted like a sail.) The shed will be easy to reassemble, but it surely did indicate how strong the winds were.

Then there was some lightning that, as far as I can tell, must have connected at least twice with something tall at the west edge of my property along the road. There was a strange kind of roaring sound--not a zap--and bright light that lingered for some matter of seconds. It happened twice, and was rather scary, even for me who generally is not frightened of storms.  Then came the torrents of rain, so thick it looked like huge waves of water spraying off the barn roof.

The Boys were out in the pasture, at the start and, I guess, sheltered under the trees--not the ideal situation, but I am always torn as to whether to lock them in the barn--I always worry about a lighting strike and fire. (Not sure I trust the lightning rods.)  AND, the storm came up so quickly, I'm not certain I could have gotten them in anyhow.

When the rain eased a little, I did go out, called them in and gave them some hay to keep them happy. They were pretty wet, but after the seething heat of the day, I suspect that must have felt good--sort of. When I went back out later to do late feed, Tucker was a muddy mess where he had rolled.

Then again, it was rather hard to see him, because by then, the power had gone out and I was navigating by headlamp. (A neat little flashlight thing with a strap around my head.)  During the storm, the electricity had gone off and come on twice.  My cable TV, Internet, and telephone went out early on, so I was left to play Free Cell and watch a DVD until the power went off completely at around 9 PM.

Bless the cell phone--which I don't often use--as I was able to call the cable company and then the electric company.  The cable problem was local, affecting about 6 customers--my road.  The power issue seemed to be more widespread.  I sat in the dark, reading a magazine with my headlamp for about an hour, fed the Boys and then headed for bed to lie there in the uncomfortable humid heat of a still warm night, and tried to fall asleep.

Then, at 1 AM, all the lights I'd left on came alive.  Still wide awake, I got up, put my DVD back in the player and watched the rest of my movie to put myself back into sleep mode.  Then I realized the cable modem was blinking normally again and found out my cable was back up.

Pretty good service from both the electric company and the cable provider.  All in all, we were pretty lucky to have escaped with no more serious damage when you consider what some storms have done here in the US this spring.  Nature's power is incredible.

The Mystery Solved

He Was A Felon!!

I finally found out about my unwanted visitor on Saturday. He had stolen a car!

Apparently, he was pulled over on the New Jersey Turnpike, either on a routine stop or because the car was suspicious.  As soon as he stopped the car, he jumped out and ran, climbing the fence by the Turnpike and heading off into our neighborhood.

After that, the story gets a bit muddied but it's pretty clear the police were very quickly hot on his trail. Years ago, someone hid in the barns at the farm up the road, so that's where the police search started.

At some point, the kid hightailed it across the farm field, into my pasture, and then across my paddock where my version of the story began.

I guess the police had no idea whether or not he was armed and dangerous, so that explains the heavy police presence and why they were so worried.

Thank goodness he ended up being relatively harmless as far as that goes.

And thank goodness they caught him. I hope the car was OK and returned to the rightful owner in good shape.

Today, all is well and quiet at Follywoods, although it is pretty darn hot. The Boys are standing in their stalls with the fans blowing on them.  We are going to have high heat (90F+) for the next three days. No fun for anyone outdoors.

And it's not even officially summer yet.

*Sigh*

A New Exciting Story!! Very Cloak and Dagger....

Well, At Least the Good Guys Had the Dagger!

I was rather frustrated this morning as Scott, my farrier, had told me he'd be here to shoe Tucker and trim the other two Boys "first thing in the morning."  Turns out his intentions were good, but, as usual, the execution did not quite work out as planned.  Scott called me at around 11:30 AM, to tell me he'd be here in an hour.

I meantime manged to mow the lawn, and, much to my delight as I was doing that, the tractor repair guy showed up and fixed the belt on the Bolens.  I had him test it out the the tall grass--too much for the less impressive John Deere to handle--and then, with another bit of tightening, the Big gun mower was back in action.  After he left, I finished up the patch of high grass, parked the Bolens and came back into the house for some lunch.

Side note here: It was customer appreciation day at Rick's Saddle Shop, and I'd planned to go to have some free hot dogs, hamburgers, and soda...but alas, the shoeing affair tied me up.

But Fate was smiling.  As Scott finished setting up his little shoeing shop, I saw a older teenage kid running across my paddock.  He leapt the fence and pulled up short.  "Can you help me?"  he asked breathlessly.

"What's wrong?" I asked.

"Can you call me a cab? Some kids beat me up and I need to get home."

Huh?  Kid had cell phone. He was not wearing a shirt and had no shoes, but was wearing socks.  He did not look bruised or bloodied, but he had a lot of thin scratch marks on his arms and back.

I asked, "Did you call the police?"   I happened to see a rather shiny looking knife in Scott's hand at this point and he was slightly behind and too the left of the kid.

"Uh, no. I just want a cab. I'll call the police after I get home."

"No," I said, "we have to call the police now."

Scott had a cell phone in his "unknifed" hand, but he said, "Why don't you go in and call the police?"

I headed for the house and at that, the kid got up and started jogging down the driveway.

I got the cordless phone from inside, dialed 911, and headed back outside. When the emergency dispatcher answered, I told her who I was, and my address and then said that a teenage kid had just run through my yard.

She aksed, "Was he white, black or Hispanic?"

"Hispanic," I replied.

"Was he wearing shoes?"

"No."

"Ma'm, please stay on the line. Where did he go?"  I told her he'd started running west on my road. "Can you still see him?"

I asked Scott to go look and he said he'd disappeared.  Then I told the dispatcher I was worried that he might have gone to my elderly neighbor's house. She asked me if I could call them...duh, I was still on the phone with her. But about a second later, a police car came whizzing up. We waved it down and told the officer the kid had run down the road. He took off at speed.  A split second later, another police car raced past.

I was, of course, still worried about my neighbor, so Scott and I flagged down the third police car, to tell them we didn't know whether or not the kid had gone into the neighbor's yard and would they please check.  The third and fourth car drove up to my neighbors 'and ordered them inside the house.  I guess they did a search for a while.

Puzzled, but with nothing else to do, Scott and I headed back to the barn to start the shoeing process.  In a few minutes a helicopter roared overhead and then we think it may have circled around, because it came back in, low and slow.  Scott looked out, "That's a State Police copter, " he said.

What the heck?

He started to trim Tucker and I decided to go back out to the road to see if the police were still next door.  Yes they were but...suddenly two uniformed officers came running out of the yard. They jumped into their cars and with squealing tires, raced off.

Scott and I spent the next couple hours talking it over as he shod Tucker and trimmed Toby and Chance.  We discussed a lot of other things, but it kept coming back to speculation about what `the kid was doing.  Scott said when I didn't act worried or upset about the kid's being there, he at first thought maybe I knew who he was.  To be honest, my first thought was that maybe he was working on the farm or mowing and something had happened.  But I rather quickly realized that wasn't the case. However, since I am so used to dealing with teenage kids, it never even crossed my mind to panic over his strange arrival.  He looked like he was more scared than anything.  I'm pretty sure his cell phone was not working as the screen didn't seem to light up when he turned it on, so that was probably why he wanted us to call for a cab.

But come on. A cab?  The only cab I was going to call was a black and white one with red lights on top.

The full mystery is not solved.  I did call police headquarters and the woman at the desk told me that the police had caught the kid not long after the copter passed over. All she knew was that the kid had "bailed out of a car on the New Jersey Turnpike."   By the way, they had search dogs out after him too. I am glad of that for several reasons. Obviously, I don't want a fugitive hanging around my woods, but for the kid's sake, I'm glad too. If he had tried to escape through the woods, he would be dead meat.  He'd be devoured by mosquitoes and deerflies, and then if he did manage to get through the endless tangles of briars, he'd probably get lost in the swamp, and who knows what kind of misery he'd suffer.  Years ago, an old woman wandered off into that area and some hunters found her body months later.  Shirtless and shoeless, this kid would have suffered.

On the other hand, he did get a little justice.  He jumped over my fence twice...wooden fence with a strand of hot electric wire.  I wonder what an electric fence shock would do to a cell phone?  I'm pretty sure he must have gotten a good jolt.

Oh, yes. I did get to Rick's but by that time the hot dogs were all gone and the grill was closed.

Guess I'll have to cook my own.

New Addition

Now I Can Mount My Horses

Even my three step mounting block was proving to be a bit short for mounting Tucker who is nearly 17h.  I had investigated the few places that sold four step blocks, but they are pretty expensive ($200 +shipping.)

I have seen nice wooden mounting platforms at some stables.  I thought it would be a good idea to see if the carpentry shop at school could make me one. But then, I had a brainstorm. I already had the three steps, so all I needed was a platform to stand on one step higher--about 30" up.  There was no need to make steps.

I went to school yesterday and spoke to the teacher. He called me at the end of the day to tell me he'd made the platform.  I picked it up today and brought it home.

So, for your viewing pleasure, my new mounting block system...horse approved, of course.

Above, the "judging committee arrives on scene."

 Inspection time.

 And here is the approved structure. I think I got my CO (Certificate of Occupancy) without a problem.

Now, what excuse do I have for not riding at least a little....aside from the fact that Tucker has now lost both front shoes.  He was overdue--I called my shoer over two weeks ago--so I'm not surprised.  Chance needs a trim as well, and my knees still hurt.

But at least I should be able to get on without any trouble.

A Day to Remember

Just a Perfect Picture

For Memorial Day my friend sent me this picture. It is of a member of the USMC mounted patrol with his son, but better yet, apparently the horse is an American mustang. Just gotta love it!

The Fan Club

Barn Job of the Day

Church in the morning and lunch afterwards took up most of the very hot Sunday.

I figured it was time to set up the fans for the Boys.  Leave it to me to have not thought out the storage well enough during the winter to keep the fans free of hay and dust.  Essentially, I had to take apart two of them to clean out all the collected debris.  They are all working, despite some missing knobs.  Each Boy has a stall on the floor in front of his stall gate, and I leave them on all day when it's hot.  The biggest benefit is that they do blow the bugs away, adding to the shelter of the barn.

Tucker took to his right away and stood at his door, taking in the breeze.  Toby, on the other hand, eyed his suspiciously and left the stall until he was sure it was not some sort of mechanical monster in attack mode.  Chance just waiting patiently until  had his set in place and then kind of stood there, thinking.

That task done, I fed the Boys and then headed out to the swimming pool.  Today I did nine laps of crawl stroke, I lap of sidestroke, and some 100 bicycle kicks at the edge of the pool.  I'll swim again tomorrow, and then perhaps go to the indoor pool during the week for at least one more swim.  I guess three times a week will do until the outdoor pool opens on a daily basis.

I still have a lot of outdoor work to do to keep me exercised and, of course, and entire house to clean before my September surgery.

I guess if I tackle at least one job a day, I just may get it all done and still have some energy left.  And, gee, maybe I could get a ride in now and then--knees permitting.

Back in the Swim of Things

Hot Enough for Summer

It was definitely hot today with temperatures up around 90.

I kind of crashed for most of the morning as I hadn't slept well last night.

But then, I decided I might as well go over to the pool on opening day to see how the water was. Well, the answer is: delightful!!  It took a little courage to jump in, but once I was wet and swimming, it felt wonderful!

I sort of did my ten laps--twenty lengths of the pool--varying my strokes because I am not quite up to keeping my modified crawl stroke the whole time.  Then, while I thought about doing more, I climbed out and headed for the lazy river for a few rides around on the tubes.  That is always nice and relaxing and it lets me take a little sun. Again, though, I was cautious and only took two turns which was about 15-20 minutes.  Enough sun for the first time out.

I didn't try the showers there as last year, the hot water was not turned on until the pool was open daily--right now it's only weekends. But I hopped in my own shower at home as soon as I got back into the house. The pool smelled very much like chlorine and I wanted to get my hair washed with Ultraswim shampoo before it was damaged.  I am going to wet my head and use some conditioner before the next time I swim so it won't be as bad.  Usually the pool does not seem to be as strong with the chemicals, but it was the first day they were open.

I had the whole pool to myself by the end of my swim.  While there were quite a few people there, there didn't seem to be many swimmers.  There were children in the wading pool, but the adults seemed to prefer sunning to swimming.  Could be the water felt cold if you were not exercising, but it was nearly perfect for a workout.

I was glad I didn't do more. When I got home, my knees were really "tight" and my legs felt really tired.  I did manage to clear one wheelbarrow full out of Chance's stall--his is the last to be stripped--but again, I decided to be conservative, so I didn't do any more.

As I was feeding the Boys, a thunderstorm was threatening in the west, and I though we were really going to get hit, but all we got were a few drops of rain, some distant noise, and nothing more.  The weather radar showed a big storm just missing us.

At this point, that's OK by me.  The lawn looks as if it needs mowing again already.  If the pasture is growing like that as well--I really haven't checked--the Boys will have some nice grazing in between mosquito attacks.
They were out there as the storm seemed to rise since there was a pretty strong breeze.

I've brought the extension cords up from the basement so I can set up the fans at the stalls.  Hopefully that will help blow out the bugs and give the Boys a break.

I have vowed to ride next week, but I don't know how much. As noted, my knees are really tight, and when they are not stiff, they really ache.  I'm hoping the swimming will eventually help, but we'll have to see.

Bless the Tractor

Short Work of a Big Job

My front end loader is a treasure. It made short work of cleaning out the west side run in shed today.  Unlike the east side that was filled with old hay, built up over the winter, the west side was mostly an accumulation of manure.  I'd been cleaning it until things froze, then, cleaned as much as I could. But then, of course, I hurt my back and it rained a lot.

The Boys were hanging out under the roof and left it quite a mess.  However, it was no challenge for Kubota.  We were done in quick time with just a few places where I had to use the pitchfork to fill the loader.

I still need to strip Toby's stall and Chance's stall and the east run in shed needs another cleaning as the Boys have been dragging hay out there again. A couple more productive days and things will be under control outside the barn.

Inside is another story as I have a pile of sheets and blankets to be sorted and cleaned. And, I need to clean the fans so I can set them at the Boys' stall doors to give them some breezes for the hot weather.

It was pretty warm today, into the upper 80's at least with humidity.  Actually, I didn't mind too much as tractor driving is not as hot as wheelbarrow work.

And since the swimming pool opens this weekend--it will just be open on weekends until the end of the school term in June--if the sun heats up the water a bit, I will be able to get some swimming in.

I think I need to do something with the Boys too. When I started working with the tractor, Chance and Tucker were in definite snoopervisory mode.  Toby came out for a while, but lost interest fairly soon. But Tucker was nearly on top of the tractor as I was trying to work.  I had to keep chasing him off so I could maneuver.  I guess the tractor was the best entertainment he'd had in a long while.

He finally gave up when I didn't let him drive.

Maybe next time.

Nothing New

But I Did Mow the Lawn

In between rainstorms, I managed to mow the lawn. However, when I took out the Bolens--the lawn tractor just repaired--the mower deck was not working!! It was acting a bit "funny" the last time I used it--threatening to shut off in the heavier grass. This was a problem it had last year that the repair shop fixed.  I am wondering now if whether when they pulled the engine to fix the tractor's latest issue something was not properly connected?

Anyhow, that left me with the John Deere and three flat tires.  I got them pumped back up with the compressor and then could not start the tractor because the battery was dead.  I am pretty much prepared for most contingencies, so I hooked up the battery charger and went off to do some errands.

I stopped at my hay man across the way to pay my bill and we sat and chatted for quite a while. He is an industrial developer and we talked about the pending application for the concrete plant in the middle of the parkland. I got some valuable insight and opinions.  We had the hearing on Thursday night, but, as I've said, the public comment portion is not done yet, so any information I can gather to help me make my case is good.

Then I went to the feed store to get some alfalfa cubes for the Boys.

I am feeling really sorry for the Boys. They seem to be spending most of their time in the barn, hiding out in the stalls. I'm not sure what bugs are bothering them, but I'm pretty sure it's the mosquitoes. With all the rain, the little blood suckers are breeding like crazy.  I do have fly sheets on everyone but I also may need to go to the heavier duty models--the PVC vinyl ones.  It could be that the mesh on the orange ones is not fine enough.

I have Mosquito Halt spray, which is the best for keeping mosquitoes at bay, but again, I hate to overuse it as it's pretty powerful stuff.  And, I can always set the fans in front of the stalls to help blow the bugs out, but that doesn't make it any more pleasant for the Boys outside.

I think I need to see if my fogger is working and do some fogging at least around the barn.  I'd do inside too, but I now have four or more nesting pairs of barn swallows with hatchlings and I certainly don't want to poison them.

I so enjoy the noisy little birds in the barn despite some of the mess they make.  They are good bug catchers and they always have a comment to make when I'm inside. They don't seem to dive bomb me or the horses, but if one of the outside kitties goes in there, they are ever ready to defend the home territory. You have to admire their courage.

In the meantime, I do wonder what they are saying in all the chatter when they see me. I'd hope there's a bit of welcome, but I'm not so sure. Maybe if I learn to listen, I'll get some more ideas for how to keep the evil developers out of the natural environment. *G*

Chicken Salad and Weeds

Grazing is Good

With all the rain, the grass seems to be growing like...well weeds. So are the weeds, at least around the house. I went out to clean off a mat with the hose and found myself waist deep in weeds by the back porch.  I pulled a few, washed off the mat and then got out the trust weed whacker--string trimmer--and attacked. Then I headed out to the barn, near the water trough, and trimmed some pretty big weeds there too. I just made a dent in the overall weed crop, but those two places do look better.

The lawn needs a mowing, but it is still too wet. On the positive side, as far as the Boys are concerned, the pasture seems to be doing well enough to keep them happy for most of the day.  In between the mosquito assaults and the rain showers, they head out to graze and it took a bit of noise on my part to get them in at feed time.  But then, Toby took the lead in a canter and soon all three trotted into their stalls for a bite to eat.

I am cleaning out--full stripping--the stalls a bit at a time so I don't throw my back out. A few more days, and things will be under control, but by then I am going to have to do the front run-in shed again as Toby and Tucker seems to drag their hay out there.  And the other side of the barn needs a good cleaning as well--a job done relatively easily with the tractor.  I do have to wait a bit for the mud to dry up, though, as it's rather soggy out there after week of rain, with more to come.

Meanwhile, inside, I made up a batch of chicken salad, finishing off the chicken breast I'd bought.  This time, though, I added apples, grapes and nuts to make it a chickem waldorf salad. I think I have mastered a pretty good recipe of my own.  I finished off a nice plate with some salad greens and it was quite tasty.  I have enough left for tomorrow too, if I don't dig into it before I go to bed. Tempting, I fear.

I took a couple pictures of Patches, the now indoor cat last night. It was dark and I didn't do anything to adjust the focus, so they are a bit blurred due to the low light, but he was just sitting at my feet looking cute, so I figured he deserved a moment of fame. So here he is:

Some of that is belly and some of it is fur....you guess which. *G*

Quarantine in New Jersey

Equine Herpes is Here Too

Two farms in New Jersey are under quarantine for the Herpes virus, so it has spread throughout the country. As I recall, we had a similar outbreak last year around this time. My boys are not going anywhere, and I will make sure both my vet and farrier have not been anywhere near those farms before they touch my horses. It is ever a worry, of course. Hopefully, our general isolation will keep my little herd safe.

Meanwhile, amidst the repeating rainstorms, I drove down to the orthopedic surgeon who works out of Philadelphia. More X-rays confirmed what I already know and he agreed I need knee replacements. This surgeon will replace both my knees at the same time and he does recommend it in some cases--my specific situation is an example. He agreed with me that doing one at a time could pose some problems as the untreated knee would be hard pressed to do its job while the replaced knee was undergoing healing and physical therapy.

I have tentatively scheduled surgery for early September, since they apparently get pretty busy around that time of year and making plans now was a good idea.

There will be a short hospital stay and then a period of time in a rehab facility, but once I am home, I will be able to walk about...with a walker at first and then a cane. When I asked about going out to feed the horses, he said that would be fine--I'd just have to make sure I kept the incisions clean--and that kind of activity was actually good as physical activity was a plus to recovery. I figure too that being motivated to get out there three times a day to feed the Boys would be pretty powerful motivation for me to use my legs.

I will need someone to do the heavy chores, of course, and I've contacted a "horsesitter," for that. Once I am home, if she can come perhaps once a day to do stalls and make sure there is hay in the barn for me so I don't have to carry it--or even every other day--that should work out just fine. If some of my friends want to take on some of the tasks, that's fine too, but so far, bases are covered.

Since my knees have really been bothering me lately, I am actually looking forward to the prospect of new ones.  My doctor did ask me if I knew anyone who had had two replacements who rode.  Guess I need to do some research. He suspected it would take a bit of time before I was able to ride as well as I had before after the replacements. On the plus side again, since I have been riding for nearly 50 years, the process is well programmed into my body. Hopefully, I will be able to use a lot of physical recall when the time comes.

Plan is in action. Swimming in the summer--if it ever gets warm enough--will help me be as fit as possible before the surgery, so that is step one.  We'll see how it goes from there.

All Is Well and All Is Wet!

A Week of Rain

We are apparently caught in a wet spell for the week at least. Fortunately, I do not see any flooding in my immediate area such as parts of the country are having, but some of the downpours might create some floods in low lying areas and, of course, near rivers and streams. I will just have to cope with Lake Follywood in my riding arena and mud puddles everywhere else.

My concert was a success and fun. I received a lot of nice compliments afterwards.  I really enjoy singing the songs--all written back in the late 1800's--settings of Robert Louis Stevenson's "A Child's Garden of Verses."  OF course my accompanist and I did a lot of preparatory work and rehearsing, but a good performance, enjoyed by the audience is always worth the effort.

Today, I spent the morning getting a headlamp replaced on my car and then researching documents at the Township tracing the history of the proposed concrete batch plant. It was quite a detective adventure with mixed success.  All in all we got some very useful information and developed a bit of expertise on how the whole mess started back in 1965.

Then, my accompanist/choir director called to ask me if I wanted to come over for dinner. He'd made a roast beef for our last rehearsal on Saturday and had since purchased a deli slicer to slice it up for sandwiches. Since he had a fair chunk of beef left, he needed some "help" eating it. Three of us for sandwiches still did not finish the meat, but we made some good headway. Then we watched a movie and here I am, back home, blogging in the middle of the night...again.

Another busy day, but at least the rain did not stop me from accomplishing something worthwhile.

Busy, With All Kinds of Stuff

And the Boys Are Fine

Somewhat not neatly dressed in their orange flysheets, the Boys are doing just fine, thank you.  They still seem to be hanging out in the barn a lot to escape the mosquitoes, but I do think the sheets are helping.

Well, at least helping where the mesh is intact and not full of gaping holes.  Soft mesh flysheets just do not have much "staying power" around playful horses.  I much prefer the vinyl mesh ones for the season, but the orange ones were more easily sorted out of my "blanket pile," so that's what we're using.  Last year's sheets may need a bit of repair here and there in the meantime.  Or, I may have to buy some replacements.  It's a matter of taking a good honest look at them to see what we can use and what needs to be tossed out.  The vinyl mesh does not repair well, and most of the time, once one of those sheets is ripped, it's a goner.

Meanwhile, I have been rehearsing for a concert I am giving tomorrow.  My pianist and I discovered yesterday that we needed some more practice in the room where we will be performing, so we have another rehearsal today.  I spent the morning at church already attending a memorial service for a friend's father.  There was a nice luncheon afterwards and I got to talk to a number of people I haven't seen in a while.

I''ll feed the Boys and head back for the rehearsal. I figure we will iron out all the little problems we uncovered yesterday so that Sunday will go well.

My back is feeling a bit better, although not yet 100%, and my knees are just....well, my knees--sometimes good, sometimes bad.  The weather has been almost ideal for riding and I'm just not up to it.  Here's hoping the coming week brings some more inspiration to get into the saddle.

Some pictures of the Boys trimming my grass on the back lawn.

And finally, some violets on the lawn.  By the way, the wild violet i the New Jersey Sate Flower.

In the Swim

A Day At School

I substituted yesterday.

Math.

I realized I haven't done sines and cosines since 1969 or so and geometry?  Well, I have used some geometric principles now and then, but this was way beyond the basics.

Now, wait a minute...geometry! I taught some in my English classes! When we were studying the King Arthur legend, one of the readings mentioned that the Round Table seated 150 knights.  As many of you know, legends and myths often exaggerate reality, so the trick here was to figure out just how big this table would be. Figuring the distance around--the circumference--is not the issue here. We figured a knight might need about two feet of space to sit--a big guy might need more, but let's be conservative. So that means the table for 150 knights would have to be 300 feet around. That doesn't tell us much about the size of the table as it's kind of hard to envision. So, how wide is the table? Would it fit in the classroom?

Geometry needed.  The formula for circumference is pi (3.14) X the diameter. Aha! We need to figure the diameter--the distance across the widest part of the table.  So, the circumference (300) divided by pi (3.14) will give us the answer. (A little algebra thrown in for good measure.)

To save you the trouble, the table would be at least 95 feet across.  I'm not even sure such a table would fit in our school cafeteria--at least not with any extra room to move around it.

This was one of those clever "cross curricula" moments in class where English and Math united and my students were actually able to see a practical application for some  of that "stuff" they'd learned in class. It was also one of my favorite lessons because even the best math students had to think a little to figure it all out, and since most of them, as seniors had not had geometry since the tenth grade--two years before--they often had to search their brains for the right formulas.

Nothing like that happened yesterday, but it did make me think about all the things I once learned in school that I have forgotten since. At the time, my quest for grades helped inspire me to learn, but so much of that learning has since vanished because I have had no practical application of it in my life.

Which somehow leads me to the swimming pool after school, where I managed 10 leisurely laps with some breaks in between.  Every time I start swimming again after a layoff, I am overcome by just how good it feels.

But, even the swim did not quite fix my back. It had be bothering me all day.  I finally lucked out and got a chiropractor's appointment in the evening. This time it wasn't my pelvis, but two lower vertebrae I'd managed to twist out of position.  I'm adjusted now, and feeling better, but not quite fully recovered--AGAIN!! That back muscle of mine is still irritated and complaining.

I really do need to finish some barn chores, but it looks as if I am headed for another "disability" day here at Follywoods.  Fortunately, the Boys are happy, sleek and sassy.

The only negative is that Chance still has mosquito bites. All three horses seem to be hiding out in the stalls when the pesky critters are out looking for blood.  I do have a good spray called, "Mosquito Halt" that helps, but like most horse sprays, it doesn't seem to have much "staying power."  I hate to use it too much, simply because over time it can cause skin reactions.

Perhaps it's time to put on the flysheets and hope for the best. It just seems so early in the year for that.

Vet Visit

Naughty and Nice

My vet, Dr. Klayman, came yesterday morning to do spring shots, sheath cleaning, and teeth floating.  All three Boys were due so it was bit of an assembly line.

Chance was first and was a good patient...mostly.  Dr. Klayman did say he needed to lose some weight--no surprise there. I will cut down on his feed and try to work him some more.  He's one of those horses that's an easy keeper, I guess.  All went well until it came time for his strangles vaccine.  This is a nasal vaccine and Chance did not like it AT ALL.  He had been tranquilized for his teeth floating and sheath cleaning, but whatever the doctor gave him had worn off by vaccine time.

Dr. Klayman has a wonderful horsewoman assistant with him--Mary-- and Dr. Klayman himself is a strong 5'10" man, but Chance certainly gave them both a fling around the stall.  He was simply as naughty as he could be, flinging his head, his body and the two handlers around in circles--even with a chain over his gums as a last resort.  He certainly is an opinionated boy when he doesn't like something.  Next time, I think that vaccine will be administered first--as soon as the tranquilizer takes effect.

Tucker was next and he was really well behaved.  For some reason, his eye was soft when he saw the doctor and he really was cute and curious about everything.  At least until he needed some extra dental work.  Two of his rear molars had hooks on them that needed to be ground down.  Years ago, my Russell R. had the same problem--a slight parrot mouth that kept the rear molars from lining up properly.  Back then my vet used a pair of tooth nippers to clip them. Dr. Klayman says the electric grinder is much better because there is much less chance of cracking the tooth which sometimes happens with the nippers.

Tuck did not like the machine and started snorting.  Clearly, the tranquilizer was not doing the job.  He needed two more doses before he was drowsy enough to accept the grinder so the job could be done.  Dr. Klayman said that not only did the molars cut into the upper gums, but they could be very uncomfortable when the horse needed to go on the bit. I will be interested to see if Tucker is better in the mouth now when I ride him.

That left Toby--The Prince. What can I say?  While Dr. Klayman said his weight was "beautiful" (By the way, Tucker's weight was "perfect.")  we both agreed we'd like to see him with more fat for the winter.  I'll be upping his feed again to see if I can get some more weight on him.  He's certainly not skinny, but older horses can use the extra calories.

At any rate, The Prince, lived up to his reputation. He was just about perfect for everything and passed his tooth check with flying colors.  He did not put a foot wrong and was the angel of the barn.  He has always been pretty good to handle, but age and experience have certainly taught him that medical treatment is usually nothing to fear and an important part of his health and well-being.

Two out of three isn't bad.

Bit Of Lungeing

Tucker and Chance on the Line

Church and lunch afterwards took up a good part of day. Since it was Mother's Day, the diner was very busy so we had a wait.  I did have a nice salad bar lunch so it was worth the time, though.

Afternoon had worn on by the time I got home. I settled in for some computer time and eventually headed out to the barn to do something with the Boys.

I decided to lunge, again because my knees are hurting and I still think I am in "X-ray" shock from what the doctor said.  Oh, yes, I also did a lot of research on knee replacements and the best places to go.  The top surgical center is in New York City.  That is a major hassle as far as I am concerned. Getting into and out of the city is a challenge.  Public transportation for this kind of thing is out of the question, so that leaves driving in and out. And, since I would not be able to drive with the surgery, that means getting someone to drive for me. That might be OK for one or two trips in, but this procedure has follow up visits, so that is imposing an awful lot on the kindness of friends.

Another friend recommended a surgical center in Philadelphia. Again, that's a hassle, but perhaps not quite as daunting as New York. And some of the Philly doctors have offices in New Jersey, so I might be able to do follow ups there.

The local doctor I already met with is certainly qualified, but two things are putting me off a bit. The first is that he will not do both knees at one time.  Both my chiropractor and physical therapist think that is the way to go for some pretty solid reasons. The second "put off," was his reaction to the idea of riding. When I did my research on the Internet, I found no less than four reputable sites that say horseback riding is actually a recommended exercise after TKR surgery.  Now, I wouldn't mind this too much, but apparently riding USED to be a no-no and it's only within the last five years or so that it has been put on the good exercise list. I wish this doctor knew this.

So much for the knees. On to the horses!!

I lunged Tucker first and he was really a good boy this time. The fun part was doing a lot of transitions trot/canter/trot.  He was almost instantly obedient to my voice commands, doing 6-9 strides in each gait before the transition.  He was super responsive.  Then I set up a one foot high little "jump" for him just to keep him entertained.  Unlike the other day, he was quiet and lovely going over it on the right rein. On the left, he got a bit silly and started some of the bucking after the jump, but he was very much under my control, so it didn't matter. Since we finished up with a nice quiet jump again, it was just fine that he played a bit.

I did basically the same routine with Chance.  He too was very responsive on the transitions up and down, again, just on my voice commands. His jumping was very relaxed and I had to push him to keep him forward, but by the end of the little session, he was doing a nice soft canter to the fence, jumping and then cantering softly off without too much "push" from me.

All and all we had nice little workouts from some very well behaved horses.

Good for a Sunday afternoon.

Weed Whacking

At Least I Did Something Productive

I weed whacked the front bank today.  It wasn't quite the task it's been in the past as the road salt and snow plow cuts seems to have killed a lot of the grass and weeds that grow up there.  Good and bad consequences of a miserable winter, I fear.

Then I trimmed around the trees in front and left it at that.  Using the weed whacker makes my arms go numb after a while.  I had about enough energy to clean some of Toby's stall, although I still have more to do as it needs to be stripped.

Fed the Boys with the intent of going back out to lunge when I suddenly remembered that it was Kentucky Derby Day!!  This year's race was wide open,  with no superstars in the line up.  That kind of makes it fun because you never quite know what could happen.

I do had to admit that Wild Kingdom won impressively, pulling away from the field at the end. He has very few races under him, so he was a bit of a surprise. But he did look good.

Not likely that he will win the Triple Crown, but you never know. Let's just say that when the Preakness rolls around there will be at least one horse everyone will be rooting for!!

Colorful silks!  Wild Kingdom wins the 2011 Kentucky Derby.

Windy Day

But Nice

Still, I did not ride. I think now that I know how bad my knees are, I am less inspired than ever.

But I will ride soon. Today the wind was pretty strong most of the day. It died down as the afternoon wore on, but I decided the dandelions on the front lawn were a bit out of hand. It was starting to look as if the house were abandoned, since the lawn was so untidy.

I took out the newly resurrected mower and off I went. It's far from a good job, mostly because the fallen tree branches are still in the way as I haven't quite managed to move them out.  That is another rather  big job to tackle.  Still, I neatened up the yard a bit.  I really do need to go out and week whack along that darn front bank already, but that is a weekend job.  If I tackle it during the weekdays I will get mowed down by speeding cars and trucks along the road.

And my back is a little out of sorts too. I have a chiropractor appointment for tomorrow, so that will fix things--just enough so I can go out, do some chores and throw it out again. *G*

I may check with the lawn firm that cuts my Aunt's lawn next door to get an estimate, as they do week whacking and trimming as a matter of course, but funds are tight, and I'm not sure I can afford hired help.

Meanwhile, I will muddle along, doing a fair job of making the place look tidy.

"Kneed" I Say More

Medical Report

OK, so I met with the orthopedic surgeon this morning. He is a young man, fine by me, with a long list of credentials.

He asked me about my knees, and I gave him the history. I mentioned that I'd been treated with prolotherapy and PRP therapy, but no longer felt it was doing much good. He was a bit skeptical about those approaches, but I know they worked, so I just told him that.  He asked the famous question about how much pain on I had on a daily basis...that scale of 1-10.  I never know how to answer.  I just told him that they hurt most of the time.

Then, he said I needed some new x-rays and off he went while I got the pictures taken.

Well, tune changed when he came back in to see me after looking at the pictures. In his words, my knees are beyond repair.  They are completely "bone on bone," on the inside of the joint, and there is arthritis elsewhere.  When he did a brief physical exam, he was a bit taken aback by how unstable the joints are--far too easy to move about. But, again to a bit of surprise, I have plenty of flexibility in that both knees can bend to their full extent.

At this point, aside from painkillers, total knee replacements are my only option, so it's just a matter of when.

As Jen so wisely commented on my last "knee" post, this doctor does not do two knees at the same time.  Three days hospital recovery is the norm, as is about a week in a rehab facility when the patient, like me, lives alone, although I could cut that shorter if I were able to demonstrate an ability to care for myself.  Then, usually a therapist comes to the home for some in house PT and then PT outside afterwards until the knee is at its best.

The only dispute, was about riding post-surgery. This doctor seems to think it's not a good idea, but my research on the Internet is quite the contrary. As a matter of fact, horseback riding is one of the recommended low impact exercises for TKR (total knee replacement) patients.  Of course, falling off a horse is NOT recommended, but I would not exactly plan on much of that.

The doctor was very surprised that I could ride at all now, considering the state of my knees at the moment.  Well, that only means one of two things to me: Either I have an amazing ability to do the impossible, or riding is not as big a stress on the knees as my doctor supposes.

Anyhow, there are some big logistical problems to sort out. First, of course, is the horse care during my layup.  The doctor again said I would not be able to take care of the horses for at least six weeks of recovery.  But then I asked if that all I needed to do was go out to feed them, if that was OK.  That, he seemed to think, would be fine once I was able to walk around safely.

Fact is, if I had to, I could do that on crutches.  So, it looks as if as long as I am home, I can do the basics as long as I can get someone to do the heavy work including stall cleaning.  Hopefully, I can figure something out.

I am semi-upset by all of this, mostly because of the time I will need for my own layup.  In some ways, doing only one knee at a time is probably better, but it does take longer. On the other hand, I would be more mobile sooner, so that's a plus.  I am also a bit surprised myself at just how bad my knees actually are.  I did not see the X-rays myself...a little frustrating, but the computer was not loading them...but they must have been pretty bad from the reaction my doctor had. I am rather surprised that I am actually able to do as much as I do now. It's going to be darn incredible to have new knees after all this!

I am currently thinking of perhaps one replacement in September, and the second soon after...or a wait until spring if it looks like we will have another bad winter. I do not want to be laid up during a blizzard.  Not only would it be nearly impossible for me to get out to the barn myself, but there would be no way for someone else to get in here to take care of the Boys in a bad snowstorm. As noted, I plan on swimming this summer, so that's out as an option.  Besides, I also figure that a summer of swimming will get me fit, a little thinner, and in a much better physical state to face the surgeries.

So that's where things stand. I have a lot to think about.

Stunning News

Up Nearly All Night
 
I fell asleep on the couch last night with the TV on, only to be awakened by the stunning news that Osama Bin Laden was dead.

I am not one to rejoice at the death of any man, even the most evil of men liked him who could mastermind the destruction of the World Trade Center, the attack on the Pentagon, and the horrific end of Flight 93.  As a terrorist leader, Bin Laden was responsible for the death of thousands of people who had no defense and no expectation whatsoever that they were targets for his hate.

But, as corrupt as he was in my eyes, in his own vision, he was a defender of his faith and political beliefs. I cannot help but think his extremism was far from normal, and certainly inhuman.  I condemn his actions, but his death still is a tragic end.  How dreadfully sad for the world that we cannot find better ways to end hatred.

Violence and terrorism are horrible results of a world which has somehow lost its soul. Desperate madmen have resorted to murder and destruction time and time again throughout history in order to fight for their misguided beliefs.  One of the worse consequences is that the rational world is forced to almost the same tactics in order to stop them.

I do not grieve that Osama Bin Laden is dead. He does not deserve my sorrow. I do grieve for the world he forced upon us. We should be able to be better than that.

And so, I offer a prayer for my country, for the brave soldiers who raided the compound, our leaders, and for the world itself. May we all somehow find a way to live together without hate.