Horse Versus Fence

There he is. He looks like the picture of innocence, doesn't he? Jack is known for his sweet, sleepy countenance and for his ability to get into trouble before you can shout his name. His most recent accomplishment is his discovery that his head fits between the rails of our pasture fence. Since the grass inside the pasture is in poor condition due to the season, Jack has been enjoying the somewhat better grass on the outside of the fence. You know the saying, "The grass is always greener on the other side of the fence." I don't think this grass is greener, but it is certainly taller and thicker. There are several problems with Jack's newest activity. The first is that Jack is BIG. When he leans on the 1x6 fence boards to reach the outermost blades of grass, the brittle, old boards tend to break. Daddy recently went around the pasture and patched about eight broken boards, only to have Jack break two more within a few days. The second problem is that Jack sometimes gets caught with his head through the fence when another horse is disciplining him. This means he must jerk his head through the rails quickly, often leaving a piece of his dun hide on the fence. The third problem is purely cosmetic. Jack had a beautiful, long mane and a glossy coat, but his habit of constantly pushing his neck between the rails has worn a short, frizzy patch more than six inches long in his mane. He also has a bald spot on the underside of his neck. We love him anyway. He certainly keeps things interesting over here.

I feel so loved.

My family has been taking such good care of me. Annie has made some yummy food, Momma got up every two hours last night to change my ice packs, and Daddy is very comforting to me. I cannot imagine trying to get through this by myself. God has blessed me with a wonderful family.

Our pets are doing their best to make me feel better as well. All three cats have been sleeping with me, but Spunkabitty is the most dedicated. He spent all night by my side, and every time I moved he patted me softly with his little paw. He even decided to stay in with me this morning, which is usually not his favorite place. Abby, my sweet dog, came inside to visit me last night and this morning. Both times she tried to get in the bed with me, and she acted excited to see me. The sweetest of all, though, is my horse, Peg. Annie led him up to the porch to look in the window at me. When he saw me through the window, his whole face brightened and his ears stood straight up. Momma opened the window so that I could say hello to him. When Peg heard my voice, he tried to climb up onto the porch to get close to me. The porch won't hold his weight, so after his second determined attempt, Annie had to take him away.

It is over.

I'm relieved to have my oral surgery behind me. It went fast, and the sedative knocked me out before the doctor had finished the injection. I do remember being aware of having my mouth propped open, and I recall the doctor standing over me with the drill, but that is about all. I had taken off my jacket before the procedure, and on the way to the car I realized that I must have put it back on. I do not remember that. I wonder what else I did.

Momma took me to get a smoothie from Smoothie King, since a friend told us that is what she did. It was quite good, but eating with one's lower lip and tongue numbed is a challenge. Momma kept having to tell me that I had smoothie on my chin, because I could not feel it.

Once we arrived home, Momma set me up with ice packs. We found that frozen peas and carrots make a pretty good ice pack. If I can't eat my veggies, at least I can wear them! Since then I've been asleep more than I've been awake. Thank you to all who have been praying for me. I appreciate your prayers.

I'm about to lose some wisdom.

Wisdom teeth, that is. On Monday, the 22nd, I am going to an oral surgeon to have all four of my wisdom teeth removed. I'm told that having one's wisdom teeth removed is painful, but for some reason my brain is more worried about the sedative than the pain. I don't know why.

Anyway, I'll be laying low, eating soft foods, and reading lots of books next week. Annie will take over the horses for me. I hope they behave themselves. . . but I told Annie to expect the worst. Poco likes to take advantage of people she isn't as familiar with.

I'd appreciate prayers as the day approaches. I know God is with me, and I'm looking forward to the opportunity to be an ambassador for Christ. Still, I am a bit nervous.

We got snow!

When we awoke yesterday morning, it was snowing thickly. The flakes were big and fluffy, and we were able to watch as our property gradually turned white. It was a lovely sight. We always thank God for the opportunity to enjoy snow.

My everyday barn chores had extra appeal because I was able to enjoy the snow at the same time. After the horses had finished eating, I turned Pegasus and Jack out to let them play in the snow. Peg looked at me as if to say, "This white stuff is cold, and I'm getting wet!" Jack thought that snow was made for eating. He ate as much as he could and seemed to like pushing it around with his nose. When I decided to bring the boys back into the barn, Jack gave me a big, wet, icy kiss on the face. Brrr.

After we had finished playing with the horses, Annie went for a walk, and I took pictures of our property. Abby joined me, and we had a nice time playing in the snow together. She managed to wander into quite a few of my photos, so I made her the focal point of several. Abby likes snow, but we learned not to throw snowballs to her. It distresses her when she chases them and they disappear.

The snow was beautiful while it lasted, but it was short-lived. At about noon, it began to rain, and the snow quickly melted away. All that is left are the pictures and the memories (and the mud!).

Our Trip

We had a special time on our trip to pick up the kiln. It was great to be able to reconnect with our friends. We realized that it has been four years since we last saw them. Our friends were so hospitable, and they made us feel loved. They took us on a hike down to a beautiful waterfall on Saturday. There had been heavy rains in the area, so the falls were large. We even had a few snow flurries while we were there. We played a game together on Saturday evening, and we spent time talking with each other. The trip just wasn't long enough! We want to see each other again soon.

Abby enjoyed her visit, as well. She got to go for a long car ride and share my food on the way. She lived inside with all of us while we were at our friends' house. Then she got to go on another long car ride and share my food on the way home. It was great fun for a dog.

The Escape

It was my fault. I opened the stall doors in our horse barn so that it could air out, and I left them open for the afternoon. While I was in the house, the wind blew one of the doors shut. The forecast called for heavy rain during the night, so Annie and I brought everybody into the barn for the night. Since Poco's door had blown shut, I forgot that I had opened it. We went on with our evening chores of feeding, watering, and giving out hay, then hurried indoors for supper. In the middle of the night, as the rain poured down and the wind blew gustily, Poco's door came open. She merrily splashed out into the weather and apparently had a good time with her freedom. She was grazing along our back garden area this morning. That mare! When I called her to come in for breakfast, she came as if it was perfectly normal for her to be out all night. Poco had an air of smug satisfaction as she strolled into her stall this morning. I could just see her telling the other horses, "I got to be free all night and you didn't." That is the kind of horse she is.


Although I wouldn't have chosen to leave Poco out, it was nice not to have to clean her stall this morning. She has a knack for leaving the worst, muckiest stall in the barn. It was probably healthier for her, as well. She's battling a minor eye irritation, and the dust of the barn doesn't help. I am thankful that Poco didn't get herself in trouble last night, and I am determined to close her door in future!

Carrots

We were able to harvest our carrots and our cabbages this week. It is always fun to care for the garden, but there is an extra excitement in bringing the harvest in and eating it. We made an Asian slaw salad with some of the cabbage, and sampled the carrots as carrot sticks. Momma, Annie, and I really enjoyed our home-grown vegetables.


We are preparing to take a weekend trip as a family, something we have not done since we moved out to the country. We are going to visit some friends and to pick up a pottery kiln we are purchasing from them. We'll leave the horses, cats, and one dog behind, but Abby, the Golden Retriever, is coming with us. She'll be happy to come, once the much-needed bath is over.


Peg has a new routine. He spends much of his afternoon stretched out on the grass, basking in the winter sunshine. Poco usually joins him for part of the afternoon, but she doesn't believe in being lazy. She is up and back to grazing after thirty minutes or so. Since Peg is my hyper boy, I was surprised to notice how much he sleeps these days. I guess he's recharging his battery, because he has plenty of energy during our riding time.


This morning, Momma, Annie, and I were able to rescue a neighbor's colt. He had become separated from his mother and tangled up in his fence. The poor baby had all four legs caught in his chain-link fence. By the time we got to him, he had freed himself from the wire. However, we needed to catch him, because he was outside of his pen and beside a busy road. He would not let us touch him, but we did manage to lure the little fellow into his pen. He was hurt, but none of his injuries looked too serious. I'm glad we saw that colt, because he'd have been hit by a car before his owner returned home.