Double Potluck Weekend.

The proliferation of potlucks is another thing about the holiday season that I dont like. This weekend...two.

Today is the Rabbit Haven shelter rabbit gift bag party. That one is OK. I guess. We are putting together gift bags for the rabbits in the local animal shelters. The different kinds of hay, a toy, a Mrs. Pastures cookie, get packaged into paper bags ties with non toxic raffia. The rabbits get to tear open the bag themselves. The hardest part of this is that it is in Soquel and will take me maybe two hours to get to, maybe only an hour and a half. Its the weekend in winter, during Christmas shopping season, and my route takes me through San Jose, Campbell, Los Gatos, then on 17 through the Santa Cruz mountains.

Yesterday, I didn't get home until after dark because after the Milpitas potluck, I had to drive to San Martin to get hay. I didnt get the ponies out, and I wont today either. The day before that, it rained. and the day before that. I gave them some sweetwater and they liked it. (1C rice bran in 1 gal water, good for keeping hydrated when the water is cold and they may not drink enough)

I also gave them some applesauce in an old supplement tube. Yndi had been a terrible patient, and getting any oral med, dewormer, Dermosedan, etc, into her is a 15 minute rodeo and kind of dangerous. So I began giving her applesauce in a tube. She is changing her mind about tubes. The first time was a surprise. She looked like this:

Welcome December, Maybe

Here it is, December already. The whole summer/fall has been a flurry of activity, building the barn and fence for the ponies, moving into the new house, and now Christmas coming.

In general, I like living far away and the solitude. But the short winter days always get to me, and the the holidays mess up my routine. Parties are really hard. I'm OK with one or two people, but parties, no thanks.

Having the mares cohabit changes my relati ok nship considerably. Yndi became very herd bound and dangerous to drive, and Pepper became less predictable. I finally just sis a bunch of short circle work sessions with Yndi and she got better. When Yndi got better, Pepper got better.

• I want to go to Merrie''s for lessons, but between all the other crap, it won't fit in. So I'm not driving at all.

I have taken some pictures though

Ground Driving the Princess and the Pea

After the visit to Marrie Morgan's training facility last month, I came home with the homework of ground driving my ponies until I could correct the bend in the rib cage in either direction and leg yield in both directions.

I worked on this mostly with Yndi. She was tricky because if she didn't know what I was asking, she didn't do anything. I had to get after her a little, then she became hyper-tuned. After more than a few sessions, I could I could leg yield her other way, but couldn't steer because she no longer followed her head. Then I had to figure out how to use my outside rein to turn.

Fortunately, now, I could start Pepper back to work. Pepper is different from Yndi, she does exactly what you ask, regardless of what you actually mean. "Garbage in, garbage out." I had to figure out how to turn Pepper as well as leg yield. Its that tricky outside rein. So I thought I had it and went back to Yndi.

Poor Ynid was stressed a little. That's Yndi. Its as if she runs everything through Google Translate to figure out what you want. It make her hard to correct, because if he is going wrong, anything you do to fix it makes her go wronger in the same direction. So we started out with problems and I had to straighten her and walk on and try again Then....She got it! I praised her and went to her head and rubbed her and scratched her and took the reins off and led her back to the trailer to take of the rest of the equipment. AND IT WORKED! The next day, she understood and it was totally better.

Pepper, I think, is ready for the cart again. My Pepperoni Pony had a hard time, coming down with some kind of bug and getting a fever and not eating Dr. Novick came out and treated her. She recovered slowly, better each day than the previous one. She and Yndi both got shoes, and a couple days after, Pepper became lame. I didn't know it it was a nail that was not quite hot, or an abscess. It didn't act like a hot nail would, so I soaked her foot in Epsom salts to draw the abscess out. It got better, so it was either resorbed or not an abscess. Possibly her stomach was bothering her.
Lauren gave me some ground fennel seed to try, and I put her on probiotics for a while and doubled up on her ulcer supplement. She gets 5-10 minutes of round pen each day.

I ordered a years supply of a supplement for Kentucky Performance Products after I heard about it on The Stable Scoop Podcast. Its for easy keepers on limited feed and horses that are one dried forage. It makes up to the fat soluble vitamins that may be lacking. It only comes in this size, so it will have good trial at least. This may be a solution to Pepper's lack of resiliency. I'll say it again, Pepper is The Princess And The Pea.

Bunnyfest 2016

Bunnyfest is today in San Jose. I'm there all day at the bunny park, helping people and bunnies who come to play.

I hope to stop by Indian Hill before I go, to give Yndi and Pepper their ulcer snacks. Peppers cod liver oil is ready to go I'll give it a try. Its high in Vitamins D and K, and should help her if she eats it. Her Kentucky Performance Products supplement isn't here yet. I am hoping that I can help her lack of resiliency with fat soluble vitamins.

Loved on Pierre and Kasey, but they didn't get their play time out this morning.so it isn't the same.
Woke up af 230 getting a headache so I've been up since, but beat my headache. So...I'm wondering what will be for dinner tonight? Cooking will be beyond me.

Razor Blades in my Boots

I bought new boots at Western Saddlery in Livermore. I listen to The Stable Scoop Radio Show podcast on the road. It was a wonderful trade off between the non supportive worn out boots that fit like bedroom slippers and the super supportive not-broken-in new boots.

I walked about 5 miles, round penning two ponies and the ground driving them. It felt like I had razor blades in my boots.

I round penned Pepper, but only for five minutes. She seemed sound. I chose the roundpen with the firmest footing, and they had just watered it, so it was fantastic. She was SO HAPPY to get her bit. I love it when she opens her mouth and moves her head around trying to find it.

The ground driving was fantastic! I made is short, which was good for her, and the razor blades in my boots made me keep it short.

 Yesterday, I listened to Horses in the Morning podcast radio show and there was a segment on nutrient depletion. Because she was on antibiotics for 4 days, her flora is messed up. I learned that grazing green grass can help with that. I took her for a short graze on Tuesday, I guess she gets to do it again today! She will be happy to learn THAT!

It was a great episode for me to listen. Lucky too, because I don,t listen to many of them.  click here to listen

 Maybe AnJan will have a probiotic for her. Dr, Novick should mention it and possible carry it, but he doesn't.

Thinking Out Loud and Maybe Ranting a Bit(a Lot)

Pepper's foot soaking for the suspected abscess has stopped because the limping got better. Either it wasn't an abscess, of the abscess is resorbing. She gets some more time off  because it might help. It seems the real problem with Pepper is lack of resilience.

I have been ground driving Yndi and working on bending and leg yielding. Its hard. Yndi tries so hard and gets upset if she guesses wrong. She is so sensitive that I know  have to get better.

I want to make the time to go across the street and check on Adrienne and Twist. She learned some new things at Merrie's and I want t make sure she is clear about what she wants and where she is going.

Bunnyfest is Sunday. I volunteered all day and I have a sweatshirt and some collector plates to donate to the auction and bunny store. I can drop those off in Mountain View on my way to Woodside to watch Erika and Dom in the dressage show. I think its at the horse park, I have to make sure.

Dave called a halt to packing stuff up and taking it to the mountain. The empty spots in the Milpitas house were making him sad. Good reason. Right? I don't thing so. He packed up all my CDs under protest, in a fury to get stuff moved. Now, he doesn't wasn't to pack, so when we HAVE to, its going to be a huge job. So, I'm going to continue as I was. His fear of change is his fear, not mine. I will support him as we go through the change, but I'm not going to share his fear or cater to it too much. I know Dave, and the more I support his fear, the more he will be a victim of it. Jee. I have my own baggage.

I signed up for a free ten day Pinterest optimization course. Its a good thing it was free because, so far, it has been useless. The developer of the course is too specific in what you have to have first. Like a Wordpress blog instead of Blogger, and a website on WordPress not Wix or any other WYSIWYG.
For example, the first day was to pair your Pinterest account with your website. When I had difficulty, she sent me some 'more basic' instruction which was just a header: Pair your Pinterest with your Site, and the a paragraph listing the benefits. Jeez! Not HOW TO DO IT! There is a difference. So after three days and hours of failing on step two of day one. I decided to skip it and do the parts  could. Sadly, each day started off with something I could not do.

Heck.

I don't know if I should buy my domain names yet. I can do it if I sell my 4 remaining saddle pads and clearance price. then I can pay for the next install of RMU.

Crap, So much to do. But hay, my sewing machines have been covered with building crap and my sewing room reeking of cat poop for YEARS! Dave won the battle of Emotional Availability and I can't do any sewing or art uninterrupted and I cant do it with constant interruptions. "Hi. Aren't you going to say Hi?" and"I need to ask you something." which is stalling while you think of a question to ask. And his cheapness is keeping me from buying a good(good!) self cleaning litterbox.

Maybe Kentucky Performance Product Vit E supplement, as advertised on The Stable Scoop Horse Radio Show, will help Pepper. Lauren has her colic prone mare on Fennel seed and says it helps her chronic diarrhea. Maybe that will help Pepper.

Pepper

Pepper developed a fever and was off her feed about ten days after we got back from training with Merrie. The vet came and took care of her and left me with some Banamine Paste. She got better gradually, and I gave her a week off. Then she developed a lameness that appears to be an abscess, in a foot that I pulled a big rock out of. Now I'm soaking her foot in Epsom salts and warm water every day.

Self Imposed Exile

We were scheduled to get a new roof on our house in Milpitas on Monday. I didn't think much about it, since no work was required of me. I should have thought of the noise! I bunch of guys walking around on the roof, ripping it apart. Lydia was upset, running and barking. I can’t blame her, it was something to bark at. The rabbits were very upset, not only by the roofers, but by Lydia. 

I stuffed the rabbits in a carrier with a litter box and hay and a no spill water bowl. I put a leash on Lydia and took a tote bag with my ipod, phone and notebook and loaded it in the car, Dave brought an xpen for me. We were off, away from the noise, not sure where we were going to go. Possibly refuge for a day in another bunny friendly home.

I'm offline away from home, so I parked at McDonald's to use the free WiFi. Denny was there and I talked to her. She reminded me that I had another house to fo to on Mt Hamilton! I had forgotten. That's how upset we all were. So the four of us, Lydia, Pierre, Kasey, and I, went to the mountain house, stopping first at Indian Hill to get hay and give pellets to Yndi and Pepper.

Three days, two nights, canned food and instant coffee, inflatable bed and folding camp chair. I had a stash of clean underpants and socks, and sweats to sleep in, all up there, but I wore my same clothes for three day. I read The 22 immutable Laws of Marketing, cover to cover.

Practice The Little Things and RMU

Yesterday, I took Yndi for a trailer ride to Ed Levin Park. Its about a mile down the road from Indian Hill ranch, so it's a good trip just to go somewhere and practice being away from Pepper and get calmer.

She had some very runny poops, and we did some circle work to try to calm her down and get her respect. I think we made progress.

I took her home again, and loaded Pepper in the trailer. She practiced being alone in the park. She did better than Yndi.

We left a lot of groomed off shed for the birds to make nests with.

Home again and in time to lurk a Rich Mom University live Facebook help session. It was farther along in the modules than I am yet, but I brainstormed a lot and I believe it was helpful.

My big launch is set for the first day of Daylight Savings Time, March 2017. After the big move is over and I have a chance to make many saddle pads.

I have to change my name to something specifically equestrian.

Driving Camp

I took Pepper and Yndi to Arbuckle, CA to have lessons with Merrie Morgan at Red on Right Ranch. Four days. We walked. Merrie drove Pepper at Trot because she wouldn't walk one day, and she drove Yndi for a nice trot, but I walked. Trying to get a left bend and a 40 meter circle to the left without going into the Spiral of Death.

All the Stuff

Many things happening in preparation for going to Merrie Morgan's for training and getting the house ready to sell and the final touches on the Kincaid farmhouse.

I planted peas and beans and sunflowers and carrots and they started to come up and got eaten. So I git veggie garden insecticide and bought some bean plants and some corn plants already started and put those in. I planted tomatoes too, but left a lot of poppies in because I like the carpenter bees and the carpenter bees like the poppies. I really want to have a decent garden out there when they show the house for sale. (not my picture)

Pepper got a tick on her neck. I got it out, but it itched, so she rolled. The place she rolled seems to have a sand spider and the spider gets irritated and bites her. The spider bites itch and she rolls and get more bites. I remember Janow had these on his dock and I used premise spray all over the ground in his paddock and they stopped. I ordered some repellent granules, but I sprayed some of the garden bug spray where she rolls because it might work.

I helped a rabbit on Wednesday. Amanda was adopted at the FOLT fair as a bond mate for a family's current bun. When the foster mom came to pick her up at the end of the show, she cried because she didn't think Amanda would be adopted. The bond looked good, but when Amanda went to her new home, she became depressed because she had bonded to her foster mom. When she became depressed, the family's rabbit turned on her and the bond was no longer a possibility. I agreed to pick up Amanda from her adopter in Sunnyvale and transport her to her foster mom in Vacaville. Its quite a drive.

Adrienne and I are getting ready for our 4 day training trip to Arbuckle.

We also went on a drive along the county road. We were going to Harry's on Thursday and the county road on Friday. I invited Francois to come too, and planed on taking both ponies and two carts. Harry had to reschedule for Friday built I had already extended my invitation to Francois and having three ponies and carts to Harry's would have made it to hard for Adrienne to get to work on time. So we just continued with he county road plan. Then, in the Friday rain, Francois told me he had a meeting and couldn't come. So I just loaded Pepper and started out. As I went out, Francois came in, the meeting was short and the major itinerary was moved to a different date. So he came with us, but just with Pepper.

Neither Pepper nor Twist was having a great day,but we pulled it off and did about 6 miles. We passed a golf course. The golfers did not expect to see pony carts. They watched us like this:

(not my picture either)

Rich Mom University

Here are some rabbit pictures. I ran out of greens the night before, so they had roses for dinner. the next morning, they were expecting roses for breakfast!

Such a rainy year! Yesterday it was supposed to rain, but it didn't look like it. I rooted around home looking for my notebook. My searching-for-lost-things method it s to clean as I go, because it there wasn't such a mess, I'd find it sooner. I never found it but did find a  lot of other things, mostly to throw away. The garden bed where I wanted to plant herbs was almost ready so I finished that. The morning yard work is an important ritual for Lydia.

I got the to barn later than usual, gave the ulcer snack and got Yndi out. by then, it looked kind of weathery. It started to rain half way to the round pen and I gave up in disgust and took her back to her stall. I gave both mares a wad of hay and went to Burger King to organize some of the bits of papers I found while cleaning. An Jan for alfalfa pellets(they didn't have any), a new scratcher for Whiskers, and a new retractable leash because the old one wont retract. Orchard Supply to buy some herbs for the garden bed. Then came home.

It stopped raining. Lydia and I got the herbs planted, the recycling can ready, cleaned the bunker.....stuff. It was the last day to join Rich Mom University and its expensive so I could decide. I finally joined with only 2 hours of availability left.

Weird day.

Pony bites and RMU

I've had my finger nipped again. Crew blood. Pepper nips at me a lot, but rarely makes contact, I have to be more proactive at correcting this.

I'm seriously considering joining Rich Mom University held by Renae Christine.
I seriously cannot consider make anything to sell on etsy until after the move to the house on the mountain, This gives me the time to absorb the infor and formulate a better plan. So far, I have been using something she calls "Hope Marketing."

Yesterday we went to Livermore to look at modular barns. That place had some cheapo stuff. Dave thought it was good but I hated it. Then we came back and picked up Lydia before heading down to San Maritn to see a schooling horse show that had two driving classed right after lunch, There were no driving entries and the classes were cancelled.  I could have handled it with Yndi or Pepper, the footling was not too deep and there was plenty of room in the parking lot to hook.

Then on down to 101 trailer sales in  Frutivale. They were closed. We saw the structures in the yard, but were not super impressed.

At home, (we both crashed for HOURS!) we dew up plans and discussed datails and prepared drawings to send to the manufacturer of Noble Barns.

Five Day Art Challenge

Five Day Art Challenge Day 5. Yes, I know, it was supposed to be yesterday, but I Had to look for the piece I wanted to post. I found it, along with this from 1977. I decided to post this instead.Karen Lynn Wheeler is nominated to post her art for 5 days and nominate another artist each day.

Five Day Art Challenge Day Five, almost

It would have been yesterday but I sent a lot of time at the barn driving with Francois. I wanted to find the charcoal portrait I did of General Sheridan for the 11th grade US History report. I never got the chance because we were out of cheese for the nacho salad I wanted to make for dinner and the chicken fingers with Mac n cheese I wanted to make today. I started turning the soil on the garden bed where I want to plant herbs. Then Joseph became argumentative and shouted, so I just locked myself in my room. Instead, I'll show you Carl, the Capuchin With Biscotti that Facebook reminded me of. He went to California Sate Fair Bigfun and won a prize in the handmade doll category.

Five Day Art Challenge on Facebook

Day four fell on a Thursday so I did a Thursday Throwback and put this batik I did at Santa Rita High under Ms. Watson in 1978. The photo was hard to get with my ipod touch, the glass of the frame wanted to reflect everything.
It got to be displayed in the Admin building where someone stuck a knife in it. It was stored in a closet until I went away to college. Kind of ironic that my art was never valued much at home until I went away to study science like a good little girl.
I nominated Liz Drachnik, a border at Indian Hill who does these really cool pet portraits.

Five Day Art Challenge on Facebook Day 3

Here is my day three offering. Its a batik on cotton that I like and hangs in my living room. It went to California State Fair BigFun and won a blue. Someone wanted t buy it but when I told them it was $240.00, he didn't even bother to tell me "no thanks." What do you expect? It's not a Justin Bieber poster from Wal Mart.

I nominated  Mary Beth Mattis who makes primitive dolls. I met her in an online prim art group before facebook. she turned out to live just up the interstate in Pleasanton.

Five Day Art Challenge on Facebook Day 2

This was on Day 2. I nominated Kathie Schulz who does needle felting and makes mohair cinches.

Five Day Art Challenge on Facebook Day 1

Diana Moll nominated me to the 5 day art challenge on Facebook. I posted this quilt. Then I named quilter Pam Giffin-Bees.

From Today, 9, 10, 11, 12

Do I get extra credit?

I gave up and started over. not much better the second time around.

Pierre is kind of weird looking with his rex head. But still....

Definitely Pierre, but kind of weird anyway.

Today.s best. Silver looks odd in this one, but not as odd as some of my drawings. I guess its ok.

and........5,6,7,8

From January

The proportions are better, a little bit. Less life though.

meh.

Kacey, with one eye, presents a little challenge. No matter what I do, she will look catywhompus.

Pierre, ever hungry. So, this one,and the one of Kacey, are the best today.

19.

Sketch Class....homework??

I got homework in class. I don't know if anyone else got homework. I am to do 10 sketches of rabbits. Here is my work for January 15th.

The first one is the best.

This one truly sucks and I gave up on it.

Not SO bad, the proportions are really off.

I'm counting this as 4 sketches.

More Practice, then to Class

So I did a few more yesterday. The interruptions were significant. Like faster than 60 seconds and somebody needed me. It made me angry. I was also not happy with anything I did.

Kasey helped with the photography.

Then I went to class and did these. I don't like them either. The multiple overhead lights in the room make it hard.

This is the one Kasey was sitting on.