Halloween Play Day at my SILs House

My parents came from NV for a visit and to see the place we have up on Mt. Hamilton. It was a good visit.

We stayed over night on the mountain and didn't freeze. I cooked and prepared all the food ahead so nobody had to do anything and we ate well.


Joseph showed his pellet gun targets ans his tractor driving prowess.



At one point he paused and yawned like a bear. Grandmother asked him if he was tired. "No." he replied. I added that no, he is not tired,
"That's a teenager, sucking the life out of you."


We took a drive up to the top to visit the James Lick Observatory.


You can see a lot form up there.


We went to the lecture on the history of the observatory and Jmaes Lick, who is buried in a tomb at the base of the big scope. At the end of the lecture, the docent asked
"Are there any questions?"

Grandmother raised her hand.
"Yes?" She pointed to a black cat that had just wandered in:
"Is that your cat?"




Each year at Halloween, I have sent my Atlantic Coast nephews a Halloween Box. It's easier and more fun for me than remembering birthdays. My sister-in-law tells me it has been fun for them too.

This year a threesome of life sized rubber toddlers and four big spiders with plastic hair.

This is the ninth or tenth year I have done this. I think this will be the last. They are getting old enough that the Halloween Box will become cheesy, another indication that they have an eccentric Aunt way out in California.

It's been a great tradition, maybe one they will remember on Halloween for a long time.

Good Fluffy Pet

Silver, my "good fluffy pet" is really bossy and opinionated, and much more interesting that way!

She gave me a scare last night. I gave her fresh spinach, new timothy hay pellets and new hay, then I went for a shower. After that, I came back to have some bunny sling and cuddle time. She was just sitting in a meatloaf. Not moving. She had not eaten anything. I put her in the sling on my neck. I feared colic and gastric stasis. Gastric stasis is often fatal. I would need to check on her through the night, get her to the vet first thing in the morning.

She did not want sling for long. Petting, just petting. Endless petting. She kept moving further under my hand for more petting, ending up leaning hard on my left hand while I stroked her ears with my right. Then, abruptly, she went over and began to eat hay. Then she had dome spinach, then some pellets.

It was not colic or gastric stasis. It was loneliness. Which is worse?

Monday Bunday

Show Jumping Danish Championship:

Watch how the first one periscopes for pick-up!

Free Time

I do not have a job where I have to punch in and punch out, get performance reviews of a paycheck. Therefore, I have more free time. You get what you pay for. That means my time is worthless.

Batik season wants to be wrapped up for the summer, but there are more projects I want to do! The hot wax releases toxic fumes and some of the chemicals are not healthy either, so I do it outside where the ventilation is optimal. But in the rain, it won't work, and if the fabric is too cold, the wax won't penetrate well.

The finished projects are washed free of the icky stuff, BTW. I am washing all the projects now.

Ebay lets you list 5 items free each month, so I have been busy writing listings for primitive sweatshirts. I use the sellername Doublecatbatik so you can find them by that.

Dave has been building a deck. He carved a path with steps out of a deer trail. Joseph helped when he couldn't get out of it. He needs to build a rail, then he's going to put his hammock on it.

He also needs to plunge the toilet. That should have higher priority than the deck rail, but it doesn't. See, he has a job with a paycheck, so his free time has more value than mine.



Life at home with only one toilet good for pooping has been hard. See, not everybody here is conscientious about putting more TP out when the roll is empty. Especially if it is the last roll and they have to go out to the garage for more. It is more likely to be nabbed from the other bathroom. Then both bathrooms are out. It has become painfully apparent that not all users care if there is no paper on the roll. Life goes on. Unless you are on the only pooping toilet. Then those people have to hope they are not home alone.

Pictures of Silver

As per request, here are some pictures of Silver.

Silver is doing well. Being an only-bun, she depends on me more for companionship. This morning she waited by her towel pile for me to come, only then would she work on her towels. She used to be aqble to do this by herself. Now she needs me to watch. She had a very long sling rest last night, but insisted on eating her pellets first. I never can tell what the agenda will be. Anybody who has a bossy bun knows what this is like.

Bonus pictures show me asleep with The Cat Patrol. I don't know who took this picture while I was sleeping. I am not in charge around here.

Monday Bunday

see more Lolcats and funny pictures

Must be Cold in Austria Right Now

Janow grows a mighty fur coat. He has since he was four, probably sooner. He starts to grow hair and people always say he is predicting a cold winter. Yes, he is. "Winter in Austria will be very cold this year."

Without any clip, he stands in his stall and sweats. He hates it, and he doesn't dry before sunset. It gets colder at night.


He gets a clip. Usually an Irish trim, and then a second one in early December. This year he got a trace clip. I'm hoping he will not need another.

Denise did it for me and we took photos so she can advertise her clipping at Indian Hill. It came out pretty good.

I got to the barn early to wash him. Dirty salty hair dulls clipper blades, so it helps if he is clean. Then I walked him around until he was dry. No rolling! I hate washing horses and with Janow's endorsement I usually abstain. What more could a white horse ask for than someone who doesn't wash horses? In spite of our lack of practice, a bath in the warm water wash rack went OK.


Surprise! Freckles underneath.

It wasn't a barrel of monkeys, but it wasn't a bad day either.

Monday Bunday

Three things Every Horse should know

This is Janow's Primary Begging Face,and below it, the Super Begging Face for when the primary one doesn't work.

The Three Things Every Horse Should Know:
1. Go
2. Whoa
3. The treats are in the left pocket

Hand feeding Janow treats is something I've had to structure. He gets them only at specific times. Still, if he gets loose, he will be easy to catch. Just stand in his field of vision and put your had in your pocket. He will come.

When we are going around the ranch, he indicates to me every person who puts their hand in their pocket. He will go up to complete strangers and molest them for cookies. It's not always cute. He asked Joe for a cookie one day and Joe put his hand in his pocket and pulled it out empty to demonstrate that he didn't have anything. Janow surprised us both with a nose butt to the 'pocket area' that was not gentle! To Janow, this hand out empty was not a gesture of poverty, it was teasing, and he was mad.

There's something unique about being attached to a horse for a long time. Sixteen years for me. I can present my horse as Janow and other people see Janow as he is at that moment. When I present Janow, I see sixteen years of Janow's life. Our times together, the small things that had a big impact on how I see him as well as the big things that are more significant to other people. They see a horse, flea bitten grey to camouflage bird poop, small in stature, with a large eye and, if they stand too close to me, a grumpy demeanor.

Roger has not met Janow yet. How do I present Janow when it is time to put Janow to a cart? Roger has asked if Janow is a jokester. I answered "no" right away because I know Janow takes himself very seriously. I don't think this was the right answer. He is a jokester. His sense of humor is not always nice, definitely self serving, but he takes himself very seriously. He doesn't always take me seriously, probably because I don't always take myself seriously.

Pretty smart for him to figure that out!

Spunky

This is Spunky. I got to drive him in my first lesson. I've spent years on top of horses but this was my first time driving. Totally different and the same, all at once. It was lots of fun!

Roger was a great teacher. I had to go a bit of a distance to get to his place, but it was worth it.

Somebody else is driving him in this pic, but I haven't met her yet and I can't put her picture up for God and everybody when I don't even know her.

I am shopping for a cart and harness for Janow. When I have more experience, Roger is going to help me put him to a cart.

Roger Cleverly Equestrian Training