Deep Sadness Here Today

Casper
3/12/84 - 11/14/09
may he rest in peace

He taught my baby how to ride

Wade's Grandfather back in the day..

magnificent

His knees became so knobby from roping

Grandpa Ron asked us if 2 year ol Mercy would like him
and he could send him down to our warmer climate

it was a deal

Casper front and center of that Xmas card picture

riding in the arena with Daddy

Daddy swaps horses a lot
but it didn't matter
Casper was always an old steady

Grandpa Ron came down to see Casper

He and Mercy rode thru the desert

He loved seeing Casper doing so well for Mercy

they were starting gymkhanas

and Casper was just right

always wonderful with small children
seen here with the Carroll Farm girls

there was a lot of love here

he was always ready to go

a phenomenal horse
one I'd trust a 2 yr old child on any day
and I did

Casper spent 24 years in Wade's family
teaching 4 boys how to rope

he went to a lot of ropings and rodeos
and he won for those boys

he was worth his weight in gold

in the end
his knees gave out
and he had been retired to pasture

he was put back into action for Mercy
but eventually she outgrew him
in terms of speed

she wanted to go faster
and he just can't do that

so we retired him again

I considered us privileged to have him here
and we tried to give him
the retirement a horse like that deserves

lotta carrots

Mercy still couldn't help climbing on from the rail
and just sitting on him

today was his last day

we'd known it was coming
we held out
giving him bute more and more
so he would make it until our fall season
and before it turned bitter cold
we'd have him euthanized

I figured if he lasted thru the heat of summer
he deserved that beautiful fall weather

and it has been beautiful

but this past week the weather turned
his pasterns swelled/stocked up
and he wasn't getting around

he could still get up and down
but he was suffering daily to stand up

these past few months we've been babying him
lots of carrots, baths, brushings

a special brushing from Mercy

hitting all the itchy spots

Wade spent a LOT of time with him today
he took the day off for this
and it was very hard on him

He loves this old horse so much

Shortly after this picture was taken
the vet arrived
it went well
Wade held his head
I guided his back end
and it was quick and painless

a big thanks to our neighbors who
provided a backhoe
dug the hole and then left the backhoe
here for us

Wade buried him personally
as it should be


Casper

a better horse was never known

I don't know why I do this. It's like wrangling 3 yr olds.

yesterday
The Wife
asked

"how do you pet all the dogs?"

that's a good question

I could go on and on about
how it works with the dogs here
how I manage 10 big dogs and 1 little one
I'm counting Lexi in this but she's usually kenneled

how do I pet them all?

well we're always petting them
I'm outside a lot
and they all come up for attention
and I give it out

I start early with wanting to touch them all over
we used to have a big tick problem here
and I'd have to inspect everyone
toes, ears, under the collar, armpits

the problem
thanks to Truly Nolan
is nonexistent now

so everyone gets handled a lot

I expect to be able to do pretty much
whatever I want with them

that said
I have one biter
Dan the Man
who prefers I not mess with him

he gets a muzzle and it gets done anyway

there was one exception
when he got cholla cactus in his gums
and I couldn't figure that out
how to not get bit and get it out
so I took him to the vet
where they sedated him

I maintain strict Boss status here

there is a lot of love given
but I'm also super clear
on what's not allowed

we'll have some manners!!

no super rough play
no growling or sniping
respect the elders
and do what I say

4 things every dog should know
Sit
Stay
Come
Go

enjoy my photo demonstration below

Left to Right: Thelma, Special Bean, YoYo, Shady,
Samba and Maggie

Shady's saying "See how good we sit!!"
and Special Bean is blowing it

6 of the 10
Lexi is not part of this and stayed in the kennel

Dan and his sister Nee Nee below are the working dogs
they live to herd anything

I can yell at a specific horse
from the porch
and Nee Nee will run out and start working
that horse

they really don't want to participate
in whatever nonsense I seem to be doing

but I say
"C'mon, it'll be fun!"

then I say
"Nee Nee COME!"
about 10 times before she actually does it..

she did not want to come sit

Dan says "Mom, Ben's sniffing me!"

Ok, I count 9 in this pic
who am I missing?

Shady! Quit licking yourself!

Maggie and Ben! Over there in the corner!
That's rude!

MAGGIE! and BEN!!

BEN!! Special Bean!
GAH!
Samba, you're the best..

Ah HA! Little Dude!
hiding in the corner
he wants no part of this either

Ok I got it
barely..

so it's not perfect
but there's 10 of them there..

I give up now

Wade has a better day

Wade got to work from home yesterday

Snowbirds come thru town
and drop various equines to be shod

this was 3 mules and a horse

Wade loves to work from home

It's relatively safer than the other day

the final report on that is
3 people went to jail
1 person had a heart attack
and Wade may have to testify in court

we'll file that under
Crazy Farrier Stories
I need to compile into a book

to be honest
I'm going to hide from the world at home

I may take a serious interest in something
like gardening..
something safe at home

cause
people are crazy

************

Lexi had a good day yesterday

still meek and cowardly

lacking in some social skills

here she's really sniffing for hoof trimmings
while YoYo checks her out

remember Thelma?
former South Phoenix street dog?

she was the same way when she came here

Thelma loves Wade
a bit maniacally

get ready
Thelma's going to flip

pet my belly! pet my belly!!

Ben and Shady don't know why
Thelma has to do that

she always gets a belly rub
crazy dog

Lexi watches closely

she has graduated to off leash since yesterday
and she's getting it

she comes wagging her tail to me
but not consistently yet

still a lot to learn on her part
but her personality is coming out

Another day in the wild wild west

Lexi learns about being in the house

with help from Special Bean

He's a good leader

Maggie


Wade this morning
cleaning out the nasty trashcan

I tried to wash a pillow
it got waterlogged
and made my washer off balance
so I threw it away
where it leaked all over
and smelled horrible apparently

I have no sense of smell

Wade had me put my head in and sniff
and I smelled nothing

he was gagging

*****************

then I call him this afternoon
and he answers the phone
tells me he was trying to shoe a horse
but at the moment
he's trying not to get SHOT
and can he call me back later?

I hear ruckus in the background

he says the cops are on their way

I said "Ok"
and hung up

I swear
I wasn't even surprised

he was late getting home
after giving statements to the police
and feeding the animals there

he came in with his shirt torn completely open

I said
"Was there a fistfight too?"

he said
"Yep"

long story short
a family feud erupted
shots were fired
a physical fight happened
a lot of cops came
and people went to jail

Wade's finally decompressing
and to be honest

I think he should bill double for this

The days fly by

I did finally get my mommy back
from the hospital yesterday

thank you for all your prayers and well wishes
it was a tough time

once again
re-prioritizing in life

so bear with me while
I figure myself out

meanwhile
there is Special Bean

who very much knows his name now
and it has occurred to me
that the neighbors must think I'm
completely insane

calling out
"Special Bean! Special Bean get over here!!"

he is a monster

with teeth

at the moment he's playing with Lexi
in the house
with a ball

for the moment
two seconds later he's gone outside again

Dan says "Save me!!"

and Little Dude says

"It's a good thing that puppy can't get on the couch yet"

He's gotten into Samba's spot outside

she's the matriarch of this family
besides me
and she's a grumpy ******

she's tolerating this nonsense
barely.

see the video below for the sound effects

she's pretty clear in her warning
but she's a good girl with the pups
she just moves off when she's had enough
snarling the whole way

obviously Special Bean decided
not to tempt his fate with Samba today

Where have I been?

Everywhere and nowhere

a quick post here

my mom is still in the hospital
still having a hard time
has run a fever every day

I'm all over the place
very worried about her

taking care of everything
including the little things

she had/has stuff up on Ebay
so I'm figuring that out this afternoon

meanwhile Little Dude has been sick
and his nagging/wheezing cough
despite antibiotics and two trips to the vet
turned into a collapsing trachea
we learned on the 3rd trip to the vet
and the medication for that isn't working
so we'll be going back for round 4 at the vet today

while I was in and out of there
I had Lexi (Starfish#2) spayed
and I'm proud to say she did great
and she is doing great

a very special
HUGE THANK YOU
to
Juli, Sara and Scott
and
Lori, Karen, Mary and Jody
who all donated either cash or dog food
to help these dogs

for those who always wonder
(and I'm one of those)

I gave Starfish#1's vet bill to his new owner
and didn't take a copy of it first
but
below is a copy of Lexi's vet bill
spay, pain medication, shots, rabies
the works
your cash contribution is listed on there
(except Jody, who knows I already used hers on Starfish #1)

THANK YOU ALL SO MUCH!

In light of all we've been forking out lately in dog bills
that cash sure helped a lot

I also have some receipts from Susan for dog food
if anyone wants to see them let me know

Lexi thanks you very much even if she doesn't know why

she's still living in the kennel
with hoof trimmings, blankies and a toy horse
which I have witnessed her play with

she's become excited about food
wagging her tail at dinnertime

today was our second attempt at going "outside"

our first attempt she was too scared to leave the kennel
it was just too much for her yet

today Wade was shoeing here at the house
and all the dogs were around him
and it seemed like a good time to bring Lexi out

none of the other dogs cared a bit
and Lexi relaxed
even sat down and had a nibble of hoof

she didn't want to leave when it was time
to go back in the kennel

we'll work on leash training
manners and the rest of it

I have no doubt she'll do fine

The Gymkhana Results are in!!!

Mercy and I warming up

this is the second time I've been back in the saddle
since the accident
but it's Monte I'm riding
and he's my good boy

I've told Wade that if horses were people
Monte would be "The One"

Wade doesn't care to hear that from me

Mercy trotting her poles nicely


Wade loaned his horse Olga out to a friend of ours

this kid normally rides a hot little horse
so Olga was just right for him

his sister Cora heading out

she's done real good with this horse
and he's patterned nicely
he just skips right thru them

this is what I get when I say
"Can you hold my horse?"

my turn

we did ok
stalled a bit on one pole
but otherwise our usual 32 sec run

Mercy doing the flag race

like a champ!

Special Bean was there

then there was my flag race

this is the part where I told you
in life in general
I don't quite get it right
but it's funny anyway?

yeah

we approach
and my horse always buggers somewhat
we've worked on it
but I think he does it for fun now

I got him up there
and he took the flag in his mouth

by the time I realized it
he'd dropped it
to everyone's delight

sigh

This is me saying "I swear I didn't practice that!"

they gave me a do over

especially since that's NEVER happened before

of course not!

we got it now

and made it stick

Mercy's barrel race
at a trot

Robert and Olga
I missed most of their run
but it was a solid 22 sec

my barrel run

going a bit wide on third
which was deep

heading it home


and the results?

that's HER buckle
5 yrs old and won her first buckle
I may burst

Heather from Carroll Farm made out pretty darn good

and me

Mommy won a buckle too!

even Daddy got a trophy

but I think he really wanted a buckle

they sure are pretty!

check out the lead line champ!

Is that not the cutest thing EVER?!

Mercy and the horse that won it for her

Mom and Daughter
hard to beat

Oh Happy Halloween!

First
my mom is still in the hospital
feeling much better she says
and sounding better
in a private room

Thank you all for your well wishes
and prayers
Thank you so much

they are gowning and gloving up
and treating it like it's H1N1 swine flu

at this point I can't go visit
until tomorrow due to hospital hours
but everything seems positive at this point
and she's in a good place to be

the best I could do was put it aside
and have a good Halloween

and we did

God help us all

I just can't ever seem to get things quite right

maybe that's what makes things in my life so damn funny

first off
this costume
I realized
has one leg 2 inches shorter than the other
???????
but ok
that I can deal with

it was the udder
and the reactions to the udder
that were unnerving

witness the udder in my lap

and you know what's shameful?

even I couldn't stop touching it

I looked over at Wade while he was driving and said
"You know. I get it now"

He said what and glanced over

I said "This!" pointing down

"Guys! They can't help but touch it! It's just there!"

I swear - Wade blushed


anyway
*ahem*

the kid was married to Spiderman this year

but then...

he saw the udders

we had some explaining to do

after that
and the jokes died down
we set out

Spideyman and his pretty pirate mama

Daddy and Mercy

could they be any cuter?

I love Halloween!!

*****************

in preparation for tomorrow's gymkhana
and my requisite new head attire

I thought we'd set a trend

we're not done yet
but it's a start

I showed them to Wade tonight and said

"Aren't these cute?! I shellacked them too,
with opaque glitter spray paint."

He blinked twice and said

"Of course you did"

In the blink of an eye, my focus changes

This morning the flu hit my mom
and in her case it could kill her

she's lived with a form of Leukemia for 20 yrs now
17 yrs longer than they told her

when I talked to her at 8 a.m. she said she didn't feel well
by 11 a.m. she said she needed to go to the ER

so that's where she is
and they are holding her for a few days

if pneumonia sets in it's very bad news

meanwhile
it's Halloween
the kid is ready to trick or treat

I'm holding down the fort
and making sure everyone gets fed
and everything gets done

the gymkhana is tomorrow morning
I haven't ridden since gathering cattle
a few weeks back

Wade is last minute shoeing my horse for me

much to the delight of all the dogs

Special Bean gets his first taste of hoof trimming
and he likes it!!

Well it was interesting anyway

Here's a shot last night
of how it should always be

everyone eating nice neat and orderly

and that IS how they eat at this house!

Special Bean has discovered the porch dog door

might have to redo this door soon, eh?

how cute is that little devil?

here's a quick video of him with Thelma

she plays very nicely with him

******************

so today we went back out to see about those dogs

along the way
when we were almost there
my Mom spots a donkey roaming

Susan had been told by a neighbor
that this guy also had an intact Jack donkey
but it had disappeared

so it reappeared today

Susan and my Mom cornered it
and got a halter on it

Susan says she's blaming it all on me
since I gave her the halter

tell me bloggers
she caught it
I just gave her the halter

is this all my fault??

I took Susan back to get her trailer
while Mom waited with the donkey
and one neighbor came and confirmed
it is indeed the missing donkey
so Susan loaded him up to go to her rescue

and we went on to try and trap
at least one dog

we set the trap
did see one very skinny dog
but couldn't persuade him
to go anywhere near where we wanted

he went off into the brush

on our way out we were met by a neighbor
who wasn't so nice
and has read both these blogs

he really read us the riot act
with much yelling and finger pointing
and he made it very clear he'd not like us out there
anymore

so we agreed that it would be so

we will never come back out there again

he will
"take care of the dogs"
himself

there's nothing more to be done out there
and the remaining dog we saw
I'm sure we'll never see again

we've been run out of Dodge

but we did solve one mystery today

this was a small female we'd seen