great energy....

Today was another day with great energy.
I have NO idea why or where all this is coming from, as once again the only change I have made in my life is the vegan diet to get this weight off!  While I believe I have lost 5 pounds in three weeks I have to say I tend to weigh differently from morning to night etc... So I say I have lost this amount because I am weighing myself after my morning coffee, after going to the barn... and after my shower while I am dripping wet.  SO ...

I have lost inches... lots of inches... and the energy is CRAZY!
I have had more and more trouble sleeping through the years.  I thought it was my hormones getting out of wack, my husband snoring like a freight train, and getting older!   Recently the husband has complained about MY snoring! but even last night when he woke me up more than 4 times I was able to get back to sleep (I have never been able to do that)   BUT this could have been a fluke for only last night.

Having said all of that my knee pain is not as much as it was three weeks ago.  I say this as MORE about the little bit of weight I have lost and not as related to the diet change itself.

These are ONLY MY results, nothing scientific here! only me, one person doing what I can when I can and how I can to get my weight off my bad leg, keep my life going forward in a way I am comfortable with, and I am NOT preaching or telling anyone else what they need to be doing.

I had an apple with almond butter and hemp for breakfast.
I had beets in orange and ginger, an avocado, and cauliflower in curry for lunch...
I had a banana with peanut butter and hemp for a snack later in the day...
and tonight I didn't crave a dinner so... that was my day... coffee with coconut milk when I got to work! (can't do that all the time it is too sweet of a creamer for me)

I had so much energy this morning I laid yet another few bricks before going to work!

I know it may not look like a lot to most but this takes a little concentration, although I have to admit I am starting to get the hang of some of it! 

I also took pictures of the trees just outside my zen spot to be... 

This fall is just amazing this year.... I am enjoying it very much.  

Yes horse friends these are maples and bamboo.  I have not yet decided what to do about the maples as they are above the barn and the leaves could blow into the fence below.  NOT sure but keeping an eye on the situation!  

I also had to stop and take a photo of the sun set tonight... it was breath taking! 

Life is good and getting better. 

I am moving around well, having energy to stay up and type out my day... and enjoying the mornings again. 

My love to the world 

aegF

Saturday morning as I was sitting drinking my second cup of coffee my text message dings on the phone.  I picked it up and ... it read ... shipper canceled?

This tiny message was enough to set me off!  I texted back, ... come with and well do it today!
It took 30 seconds for the phone to ring.

The person on the other end didn't know what to say... it was a ... Let's talk about it moment.  I was done!   The owner expecting the horse had to be "done" and everyone was on pins and needles trying to figure out the issues with delivery. 

I have a tiny trailer, a little truck, and I had the weekend to do it! I just require when I haul a horse the owner be with me so they know I'm doing what I can, when I can ... and if an emergency occurred it wasn't second hand message from a stranger.

Lets do it tomorrow?
Can you do it during the week?
You take care of the gas / diesel and lets just DO IT!

I knew I couldn't do it Sunday... and my week is scheduled to the minute... So I had to get it done if I was going to be the one doing it.   I hated to rush it all but... the issue had drawn on long enough and things get no better when dealing with an animal, do it or not animals feel the tension of non committal decision through any human around them.

Mike was already scheduled to help me start the gravely.. he showed promptly at 9:30 as asked.  We got the thing back together, but never got it started... I threw in the towel at 11am ... I knew I was never going to get it started, get it to the pasture, and know Mike was safe by noon.  So I paid Mike for his time, asked him to take care of the kids (my horses) while I was gone, and went to get my stuff together!

My trailer stays packed with emergency supplies  I only recently took out my bag of feed I normally keep in it. ( I rotate my feed bags to keep it all fresh) I some how am missing my broom and muck rake, but I will soon be replacing them.. thanks to people in this story!

We rushed... we got it all in the truck... I left my Motrin on the counter with the trailer keys? no real issue, but I hated that I left my barn lantern as well.  That was a big one!

We were leaving late... it is a 6 hour drive in a car ... with a horse that would be an 8 hour drive EASILY ... but once we got to the barn... I knew this was going to be... ? more than they expected.

No real issues...
BUT please if you are a parent! Understand ... Safety comes first! and your child should NEVER be in a trailer with a horse, any horse... I don't care if that horse is 40 years old (not really) bomb proof, and been a perfect gentleman all his life... things happen and in a trailer someone will get killed!

The horse was an easy load, but not a safe load... there is a difference.
An easy load is just a horse that will get on.
This horse was hesitant, but 15 feet back with a little visual pressure is all she needed.  No issue!
But the previous own had gone in the trailer with her and that worried me, as I never do that and I LOVE my kids, trust my kids, and think it would be no real big deal BUT IT IS!!!!!!

The first training I ever got for SweetPea was trailer loading!  I was NOT going to have a horse that would not load themselves on the trailer without it being a safety issue for her or me!   Get a professional to do it! but DO IT! is my point!

A five year old should be able to load your horse if it is a safe load! Keep that in mind with judging what I am saying!

She was a easy load!
She was VERY aware of her surroundings and as we drove off her heard was upset at her leaving! No out cries but racing the fence and following the trailer was the action of the herd.  They could not have cared less when we drove in.

Pretty horse, we put shipping boots on her... she started to get hot after we got out of the mountains, not too hot, just she was working more than she needed to, to stay still in the trailer.  She wasn't sure about using the bumper pads to lean on at first.  She never ate or drank so we had to stop and hand feed her.  We got her started with a small piece of apple and a horse cookie that was larger than the fruit piece.  Then I dunked hay and fed it to her little by little.  She would not get her back end off the butt bar our first top.  She ate more the second stop, Started eating out of the hay back the third and by the forth stop she was eating as if we had starved her intentionally.  

We had to stop because of her being hot, not drinking, and barely eating... The boots came off! As we noticed she never even moved her feet! She was frozen in a wide stance,so there was no worry of a cornet band bruise from the haul and she needed less to be cooler and more comfortable.

We did have to get her out, she had not pooped in 5 hours. We were lucky enough to find a hidden area perfect for noise protection, very little car activity, and nice grass for us to run around in.  We ran in circles, she did some lunging, and finally a little poop made me SO happy I can not tell you how much.

Life was better thanks to horse poop... if you are new to horses this is now your life!

The new owner spooked the horse by accident.  It wasn't the owner! It was the ride that had put the horse on edge.  I had seen for myself only hours earlier the previous owner shaking a black plastic trash bag out right in front of the horse and she barely flinched.  You never know what a spooked horse is going to do... My worry was safety for the owner... I yelled for her to get out of the dressing room in case the horse reared in my extra tall trailer and caught the dressing room window with her front leg.  NONE of this happened but it is ALWAYS a possibility.  I had actually asked earlier than the new owner stand only at the empty side emergency door of the trailer before we got there, BUT life never goes as planned and she did NOTHING wrong.  I just knew this horse was going to be wired when we arrived and ? she was...

Once we got her out of the trailer the horse was fine! A comical snort every few minutes but still no more poop.  ? A few whinnies... cries of help and hello to the new brother and sisters but nothing out of control. 

We delivered the horse safe, but still no more poop, running walking, walk, trot, no canter as I can't go that fast... please????

At midnight I had to draw the line... the horse had been delivered safe, but I wasn't positive on how she was going to settle, poop, eat, drink etc... She started eating as soon as we put her in the stall, it was wet hay from the ride on top of dry hay ( so that would help a little) on her freshly swept padded floor.

We left ... HE drove us back to NC... I was spent, I was WAY past my bed time, and way past driving anytime soon.  He was pumped on how happy his little girl was, how well we got the horse there, and how wildly unexpected but perfectly emotional it was for everyone. 

My life revolves around horses...
While I do not remember getting my first pony.I was barely three.. I will be forever heart broken from the day I had to see him leave.  I remember that second horse, third, and so on... There has never been a horse in my midst that I didn't have a print on my heart from them being in my pasture.

To this day smelling of my horses is enough to calm my fears, wash away a bad day, and allow me to dream of a life so easily communicated as theirs.  Horses bring out who you are.  Watch how you treat your horses, how they treat you, and how the world respond to that same emotion. 

My thanks to the family that owns this beautiful TB Mare!
My thanks to the entire family that allowed me to share in a first horse event!

Their gratitute was passionate
Their emotions ran thick and bright in a night that exected to be dark.

I enjoyed the care package on the way back, and tonight!
I enjoy my painting at my desk each day as I type!
I have your cards and letters hanging on my board!

Thank YOU all for sharing such love with me!

Getting hay is normally something I get a few farm hands to help with.  Normally Mike, Robby and one other.  Never fails the third gets to drive the truck, while Mike and Robby throw hay up to me on the truck and I stack it.  We can get 125 bails in two trips no problem. 

This time I paid more for the hay but they brought it to the barn.  Mike was the only one available, we had another person scheduled but... he didn't feel like it... but didn't tell me till it was time to do it!   I was more than upset and lets just say he is not longer on my menu of hand choices. 

Mike and I double teamed the hay for the first 100 bails.  There was someone that was going to help us load the elevator but he couldn't get it just... right so Mike did it.  That left me getting the hay off AND getting it to the stack area, something that takes me twice as long as it should and I'm better at getting it off or stacking  not so good at carrying it for long distances. 

So I doubled everything, touching each bail at least twice.
Off the elevator...
Over to my stack...
Over to create my stair case up the hay stacks...
 five on the bottom ( side lay, short cut side up and down)
Four... Horizontal  normal... (wider side on the ground)
Four... vertical ... THEN...
Four but;ONE vertical TWO horizontal and again ONE vertical THEN... switch that up too...
Four but; two horizontal and two vertical... and again a switch...
Four but; One vertical TWO horizontal and again ONE vertical...

that leaves us with 25 bails a stack... and easy enough to count with a glance...
5 on the bottom and 5 stacks of 4 is 5 and 20+5 is 25...

Not a big deal but all those switching of Horizontal and vertical really tie them together... otherwise you get the stacks separating in the middle and falling away over time.  Tie them together good and it will last as long as you need it too.

I am lucky the barn is almost open air, second floor so very rarely is the wind going to blow IN and on my hay, but I do keep an eye on it! As it does get really close if I truly have 400 bails at one time, which RARELY happens as I normally go through it as the year progresses, but sometimes I can have that left over several years in a row and like this year... it allowed me to get through most of the year with next to nothing... as the 125 bails I got in April should have been gone by.,.. Aug and it is Sept with a few bails left (only 50 plus 25 at the horse barn)... but no one needs to push it!   No matter how well off you are, it is not a matter of getting hay it is always about having it when you need it!   So use it wisely! and never allow your supply to get below 7 days as it takes that long to work your horse into a new supply.

You think food from another country messes up your stomach... hay from a new pasture wreaks havoc on your horse just as bad! 

Colic is most likely when feed, water, or hay has been changed within a two week period! So only change one thing at a time! not everything at once....

This is why even in an emergency I ask people to bring as much from home as they can possibly afford to bring.  It helps the horse settle, and not get sick.

We got the first 100 ... it was a killer but we did it.
I asked if he had another 100 and YEP! he did... so Mike and I went to get two more men to help, as I was about to pass out from the heat in the barn and double teaming the hay...

We easily got in the second 100 bails, put the west wall back up, ( I had allowed the horses in... )
Sowed the west pasture with seed... and now it has rained the last two days...

All so perfectly!
One plan that worked out for the week.

Yep much more to come!
Saturday is a hoot! I'll post it next.