Getting Closer!!!

So, I move tomorrow.  It has truly been a whirlwind around here.  Our house has been shown 3 times and our realtor said that "everyone really loves the house".  Big deal.  Not enough to make an offer, I guess!!!  I am mostly packed.  All that is left is my computer and my genetics and chemistry books, Charley's dog house which may not fit in the truck bed with the gooseneck, and the pile of stuff in the living room.  And the plants and Feesh.  Tomorrow morning we load up and go.  Yesterday and today the horse has gotten beet pulp and salt to help his start hydrating for the trip.  Tomorrow he will get the beet pulp and salt, but no grain until an hour or so after we unload.  I anticipate it will take us near 4 hours to get there with a stop halfway for water and gas.  I picked up the blankets that I had embroidered and they look great.  I couldn't be happier with them!  The blanket and hood are waterproof, so I had to place the stitching where it wouldn't compromise the waterproofing.  I think the cooler looks especially sharp!  

I started my Chemistry class on Tuesday and dove right in.  It covers 11 chapters over 7 weeks.  Each chapter has a homework (10%), lab (20%), and exam (70%).  All components are done online.  The homework and exams each have three opportunities with the highest grade being applied towards the final grade.  I did the homework portion myself a few days ago and tanked.  I got 7/10 all three attempts.  I was really down.  I started doubting myself again, convinced that I was right all along, I really can't do science.  John made an 'appointment' to help me today.  So, bless his heart, we spent two hours after he got off work doing Chemistry.  He is so smart and such a good teacher.  John has a BS in Mechanical Engineering and is a total math dork.  He has taken Calc 1,2 &3 AND differential equations (whatever that is).  Last math I took was Calc 1 about 6 years ago.  Needless to say, he was very helpful.  He really simplified the problems for me and got me thinking of how to work some pretty complex problems!  I took the exam with his guidance and got 19/20!!!  The one I missed wasn't even a math problem, it was a reading mistake.  So, getting a 95% on the first test is huge for me, especially since I have two more chances to make a 100% on this test!  I am so lucky that John is such a great tutor!  I couldn't do this class without him.  I damn well won't be able to do Physics without him!  So, I am back on track and feeling confident!  I think my short term goal in life right now is making a 4.0 in my science pre-reqs.  Long term goal is getting into vet school.  I have six more classes to go after this summer: Chem 2, OChem 1, Bio Chem, Micro Bio, Physics 1 & 2.  Those courses will qualify me for entrance into schools like KState and CSU.  OSU and North Carolina also requires OChem 2 and Animal Nutrition.  Washington State  is the same as KState minus the MicroBio and a semester of Physics.  So, you see, I am preparing for the middle ground, hoping for admission to KState.  If I don't get in, I will take more classes and apply again to more schools.  That was my dad's plan for med school and he got in on his first try.  Maybe it runs in the family.  

Next time I post I will be living in a new AHA region.  Good Bye Region 9, Hello Region 8!!!

National Running Day

This wednesday was National Running Day and John had talked about capping his daily run with a beer mile.  I upped the challenge by betting him that I could run a regular mile faster than he could beer mile.  I don't do beer miles because I can't drink four beers in one evening, much less in one mile.  John's PR in the beer mile is 8:03.  He even broke out his old racing spikes which have never not given him a PR in whatever he ran.  The ante had been upped.  The beer was bought and off we went in search of a track.  Check it out:

getting crazy!

John and I have a very small apartment now.  We also have a storage unit and a PO Box.  The horse has a home and I have started Summer school.  The house is on the market.  The realtor and her cronies are coming to 'pre-view' the house this morning.  I washed John's phone, and it died about 3 days later.  Now my phone wont charge.  John bought a new phone and a new charger.  The new charger didn't help my phone.  Now I get to buy a new phone too.  It rained last night, so now I get to take Charley out to play in the mud while I feed the horse when the cronies are at our house.  I wanted to ride, but alas, it rained.  John went to his new job on Tuesday and got to meet a lot of people.  I think that went well.  They are on a 4 day work week, which means that salaried people take a vacation day every Monday until they run out of vacation, then the go negative.  Hopefully the economy will pick up and oil will stay above $60 a barrel.  On the flip side, three day weekends every week will be awesome!!!  Back to the first side, going on a honeymoon might be hard.  But hey, we aren't even married yet.  John has heard that we may be able to use the $8000 tax credit as part of our down payment, so that would put us in a new home much faster.  Which is important because our apartment lease is up July 31.  I am kind of excited to live in the little apartment for some reason.  It seems like a fun diversion from the stress of moving.  Very college-y.  Which is good because I just started my Chem class yesterday online.  It is 7 weeks long and we have 11 chapters to cover with a homework, lab, and test every chapter.  So, pretty much the next 7 weeks will be spent immersed in Chemistry.  It is probably a good thing for me to move early so that I can study rather than stress about movers.  The plan is for John and Charley to follow (and block) for Boomer and I (and the feesh) when we drive up this Saturday the 6th.  I will take up as much stuff as I will need, horse stuff, clothes, bathroom stuff, plants, files, etc.  Then the movers come Friday the 12th and will drop it off sometime between the 15-19th.  John will drive up to Lawrence on Friday the 12th as soon as the movers are done.  In addition to all of this going on, Charley has had two seizures lately.  He had one last Monday.  It was very minor and he didn't lose consciousness (he was looking around, worried).  Though yesterday, he had one outside in the front yard and it was more serious.  He didn't lay flat out and have full body convulsions, but it was close.  He lost consciousness (his eyes don't move and are glazed) and was easy to pull over into my lap.  Then he had two more smaller ones a few minutes later.  He didn't lose consciousness for those.  I think that having seizures only affects his quality of life for that day.  He is more subdued after a seizure for the rest of the day.  Though, I am afraid it would be hard to put him on medication because there is no real pattern here.  If he goes two months between seizures it would be hard to know if it was working.  It is a tough place to be in.  I want what is best for him, but I am not sure we are at the point where medicating is the answer.  Sorry to end on a down note, but I need to get reading on my Chemistry and I need to go get a phone, go to the post office and be gone from the house for a few hours.  

Don't worry, the blog should be back to its normal 'non- stream of consciousness' self in a few days.  

Lab Rats!!!

Boomer (and I) participated in a research study on equine genetics.  Cornell Vet School sent us a packet of info and I measured him in 38 different ways.  I also pulled out some tail hairs, which was sad.  He jumped a little and John said he made a little noise, like a whine.  Aw!  We also took some profile shots.  Part of the reason I was so ken on doing this was because I really needed the motivation to find out exactly how tall he is.  He was sold as being 15.3 hands.  Hey, Shanster- my flying mounts are about to be a whole lot less impressive!  He measured in at 15 hands.  You might be able to give him another half inch, but he is most definitely closer to 15hh than 15.1hh.  And I thought he made me feel big!  Turns out, he is just a little guy!  He is only 2 inches too tall to be a pony!  I think the news sort of took the wind out of his sails.  For me too, it was so much more impressive for me to vault up onto a 15.3hh horse!!!  For those who don't speak horse, a hand is 4 inches and hh stands for hands high and is the standard denotation used for all breeds.  A pony must be shorter than 14.2hh.  An Arabian could very well be pony sized, but due to registration requirements, a small Arabian will often be 'given' an inch tobring it up to 14.2hh and to ensure it is registered.  Boomer measured 60.5 inches which is exactly 15.125hh, though hands are only measured in inches, so there is no 'in between' size for a horse between 15hh and 15.1hh.  

Here are the conformation shots.  Obviously it has been a few years since he has been set up for halter.  :)

I think he was a body condition score of 4 coming in to the spring.  He gets much more food now that I have changed him to a less nutrient dense food (aka- rocket fuel).   I am able to feed him more without losing his sanity.  So he was getting 3 pounds per day, now he gets 5 pounds of his new food.  I think I would score him at a 4.5, thought I am aiming for a 5 by the end of summer.  His top line needs to fill out a bit more.  When I got him, he was a 7.  He dropped weight very quickly as we started working and I think he had trouble maintaining weight on the Ultium as he couldn't handle more than 1.5 pounds of it mixed with 1.5 pounds of Horseman's Edge.  Good news is that he is picking up very quickly on his new food and he is behaving better than ever before.  I give Omolene 500 two thumbs up!  Only downside is that it will be about twice as expensive.  Per bag, it is cheaper, but he is eating more.  I am OK with that.  If it is better, I will pay for it.  

Same goes for Charley who has been on a new food as well.  He is getting Smart Pak Live Smart food.  He likes it, his coat is better, and he farts less.  We used to give him Iams with 3 fish oil pills a day to keep him from getting dandruff.  Now, on a smaller quantity of food and NO fish oil, his coat and body look better than ever!  All this in less than a month!  The only complaint is that the kibble size is tiny and it gets stuck in his jowls and dropped throughout the house.  Wellness is a larger kibble that we will try next time.   Though these foods cost almost twice as much per bag, Charley is getting full off of less.  He used to eat about 4.5-5 cups per day and now he eats 3.5 cups per day.  

Things I have gotten done so far...

Things are starting to happen quickly around here! 

 I got name plates ordered and put on my bridle and halter.  I also got the matching, waterproof hood (on summer sale) and took that, the blanket, and cooler to be embroidered.  I pick those things up next Thursday.  We are moving the horse to a full care boarding facility with about 20 boarders and 40 horses.  So, labeling your stuff is of upmost important in situations like those.  Not to say that people are bad.  Not at all.   It is just that things get borrowed and if it isn't labeled, it can be hard to get back.  Especially in open tack rooms, new riders have a hard time knowing what is school tack and what is someone's personal stuff.  

I also got the plug put in the truck bed.  That will make travel so much easier, and for only $35, who could say no!  It is located on the left side wall just in front of the tail gate.  

I am working on getting things together that we will want to take with us to the apartment.  I am trying to include things we will need as well as things the movers wont take.  Lets play a little game, I will list things I have stacked in the living room to take this weekend and you guess which are 'we need em' items and which are 'won't move em' items!

Card table and chairs, bed, linens, guns, ammo, plates, flatware, cast iron skillet, horse clippers, bulk supplement buckets, venus fly trap, orchid, box of documents/files, check books, address books, and other stuff I haven't piled up yet.  

Oh, we might brave Copan lake tonight or tomorrow and see if the flooding has receded enough for a trail ride! 

I also really need to finish up my Genetics homework.  I am so close to turning it in, I can almost feel it!  My genetics class is self- paced and online.  I have one year to complete it and when I finish, I will get a transcript from OSU and will be able to use it towards my Vet School pre reqs.  There are 12 assignments and 4 exams.  I am about to finish assignment 2.  On Tuesday, my online Chemistry class will start.  It is not self-paced, so it will take priority over genetics as needed.  Though necessary, it will be difficult for school to take priority over the move.  God am I glad we cancelled the wedding party.  Talk about back burner!  

Our house should be listed very soon.  We got a suggested price and it looks good.  We won't get back what we paid for it, most likely.  But, with Schlumberger's incentive program, if we sell quickly we will get a 10% bonus, so no matter!  We really just want to pay off the mortgage, thought having a little for a down payment would be awesome!  I'll get a picture of the sign in the yard as soon as it happens.  

Oh, Horses...

Boomer's eye had been weeping for about a week when I started rinsing it and talking to the vet.  I rinsed it every day and wiped under it so that I could tell when it had been weeping.  After I started rinsing it, it started weeping less, not entirely, but much less.  Yesterday was my 'last day'.  I had decided that if it still wasn't better, I would call the vet.  In the morning, it was a little weepy, in the afternoon it wasn't bad.  So, I called this morning and made an appointment only to find that it was completely dry this afternoon.  24 hours without weeping.  So, I called to cancel.  Of course, I know that it will just start weeping again tomorrow.  Oh, horses.  

Off to get that plug put in the truck bed.  

Monday and Tuesday will be spent in Lawrence getting the apartment set up, getting a storage unit, and a PO Box.  

Two weeks from today, we will be living in a new state!

Busy enough to warrant two posts in a day!

A few updates:

John and I are going back to Lawrence on Monday and Tuesday to get the apartment rented, get a storage unit, and get a PO box.  I want to take the truck and take a bed, table, chairs, some kitchen stuff, etc.  The movers will only take stuff to one location and I think it would be a hassle to have them move everything to the storage unit, then personally have to find and move a select few items to the apartment.  This is what we got a truck for, right?  Who knew you have to get a PO box in person?  I paid for it online, but they wont give me the physical address until I show them 2 forms of ID.  So, having that would help me in having our mail forwarded, magazines changed, and bills forwarded.  

I got my summer Chemistry class paid for and my book came in the mail today.  I am working away at my genetics course and am ready for Chem to start on June 2nd.  

I rode the horse bareback again today in the round pen.  He is actually surprisingly fine with my flying mount from the ground.  I need a video of that, for sure.  He responds just as well in a halter/leadrope as he does with a bit.  I really would like to try him in a hackamore, but know little about them.  We worked on neck reining, backing, and spins.  All were just as good as in a bit.  Very cool.  I also free longed him in the round pen and worked on backing on voice command.  He just doesn't really like to back up.  It is getting better, but very slowly.  

Once John gets back from his run we are going to go back out there and I am going to try to flush out the horses tear duct.  He has had a weepy eye for a about two weeks.  For the last week I have been rinsing it daily with mild success.  Flushing it is what the vet recommended, so we will give it a try.  

Riding in the rain

The last few days have been pretty busy, but I have gotten out to ride almost every day this past week!  Saturday morning started early as John drove three hours to Norman to sell his RV.  The guy he met out there helped him get it running and after 5 hours of working, he bought the dang thing!  I think John is really relieved to get rid of it.  It has been sitting, not running, on his grandpa's land for over a year now.  Leaving it there after we leave the state just seemed rude.  So, we are glad it is gone!  I rode the horse while John was gone and we worked on cantering more and going over low cavaletti. My dad came in to town Saturday afternoon and once John got home we had meatloaf and a birthday party for Charley's 2nd birthday!     

Sunday was busy with driving the horse trailer to our house, loading up two couches, two tables, and a dining room set for my brother.  We got it all loaded and drove 3 hours to Edmond.  It actually wasn't a bad drive at all.  Having my dad following made it easier because he could 'block' so that I could change lanes easier.  One of my goals today is to get a plug put in the bed of the truck so that the power cord doesn't hand off the bumper any more.  We had to stop more than once to re hang the cord.  The vet wrap bungee cord I rigged had worked for shorter trips, but it wasn't cutting it on this longer drive.  One time was had to stop and I got off on a toll exit.  we only had 50 cents which was enough for a 2 axel vehicle.  So, we set off the alarm.  I'm not worried about it though, because Oklahoma doesn't require trailers to have tags!  So hopefully they just got a picture of the back of the trailer.  We unloaded the trailer at my grandparents, had dinner, and drove back just in time to unhitch as the sun was setting.  

John had Monday off and came out to watch me ride for the first time in a few weeks.  I showed him all of the things we had been working on and he was impressed at how much we had improved since last time!  The biggest improvement was the cantering, for sure.  Last time he saw us cantering, we were in the big pasture and could hardly tun to save our lives.  Now we can make circles of many different sizes!   I showed him how Boomer is stiffer on his right side and some of the exercises we do everyday to help loosen him up.  Stopping and backing has also improved.  I also showed him how we have been starting on spins.  I'm not sure Boomer quite understands that the pivot on that back leg is what I want, but he sure does try and he is better every time we try!  We also showed off our neck reining skills, which are pretty good!  It rained at the beginning of our ride, but it was a very light rain and the sun was still out, so it didn't bother any of us.  In Oklahoma, we say "the devil is beating his wife" when the sun is out and it is raining.  John got a couple of video clips of out warm up at the trot, then the camera died.  I hope to get a good video of us soon!  

On the moving front, John and I have decided to postpone our wedding party.  It was scheduled for July 4th at our house.  If we had known about this move, we would have never sent out invitations.  Luckily, I hadn't really planned anything yet, so I didn't have anything to do to cancel except send out apologies to everyone.  For some reason, I just have never pictured myself in a wedding dress, and due to my lack of religious views, I don't picture myself in a church.  I don't like planning big events, and I don't exactly relish the thought of having to entertain and be social with so many people.  Most of my family is divorced and remarried, so that is always awkward.  John wanted a big wedding so that his friends could be his groomsmen, so we were compromising by not having a wedding, and having a big reception that everyone was invited to.  Once we found out we were moving, John's sister offered that we could use their house instead.  Only problem, she will be 8 months pregnant and we just can't put that kind of stress on her.   So, we are postponing.  I think John suddenly appreciated the simplicity of my master plan when he realized how easy it was to reschedule something that didn't require any planning to begin with!  Plus, we were going to wait to get married until after we bought a home because I will qualify for the $8,000 first time homebuyer tax credit.  So, new plan- we will buy a home, then get married, then invite a few people up to Lawrence for a party at our new house.  

Right now, we are waiting to hear from the apartment people about the sub lease we will be renting for June and July.  We also need to rent a storage unit, as the apartment is only about 560sf.  The movers will come on Thursday at 9:30 to see what we have and give us a move date.  The last time we moved, they told us they needed a months notice.  I fully expect John to have a word with the relocation company if they tell us that!!!  

I am actually kind of excited about our tiny apartment!  It has a gym and a pool!  I know I will spend most of the time studying Chemistry and Genetics, but I better get some pool time in and have a nice tan before it is all over!  

Countdown- 15 days...    

I'm off to do some Genetics homework, take the truck to get a plug, and ride the horse!

More new stuff!

I rode Boomer again today (three days in a row! Hooray sunshine!) and he was great!  He seems to be less spooky since the feed change.  He did spook a few times today, but almost instantly came back to me.  He seems much more focused.  Our 'new thing' today was introducing spins and rollbacks.  I know, I know... I don't even own a western saddle.  I just want him to know as many things as possible.  I figure the more things he learns, the easier it will become to teach him new things.  So, we warmed up at the walk and trot and then I started him by walking in a smallish circle with contact on the outside rein (the rein that will eventually plant his inside hind for the pivot) and I kept my outside leg on him to keep him moving.  As soon as I felt a little slide or pivot from the back, I let him walk out of the circle.  Surprisingly, he was much better on his stiff right side!  For the rollbacks, I just walked him along the fence line, cued for the halt, then reined him towards the rail and took off in the other direction.  He enjoyed this so we moved it up to the trot.  We also worked on cantering a lot.  He is getting much better at turning, so I felt better about cantering in the smaller fenced area above the paddocks.  The ground was all dry also, which helped.  He did very well after a few starts.  At first he was a little fussy and tried to buck, but after a few tries, he went very well and we went 4 laps in each direction.  I let him stand and relax after each session.  We worked on it a few times and he just got better as we worked.  I ended by cantering into a figure 8, trotting through the middle, then picking up the other lead.  Anybody know what that is building up to?  Flying lead changes!!!  I have no expectation for lead changes in the next few months, but we may as well begin setting up the foundation!  After our ride I hosed him off, which he is an angel about now!  I just hold the rope over my shoulder and he holds still the whole time, even if I switch sides!  The only thing he doesn't like is when I spray under his tail, but show me a horse who enjoys that...  It is a huge improvement from last summer when I was lucky if I could get him to go within 20 feet of the faucet and even then, bathing was a 2 person job.  

Another thing we have been working on is hobbling.  I had tried it a long time ago and it just freaked me out a little.  Boomer was still so reactive that I was afraid he would take the round pen down!  So, I hobbled him yesterday in the round pen and he was pretty much fine.  Today, I hobbled him in an empty paddock that is very grassy.  He was fine as he grazed along, but when he stepped forward, he pulled to the end of the hobble, slammed his hoof down, then picked his other foot up right away- responding to the pull from his first foot.  This creates  a vicious cycle until he hops up with both legs and slams them down next to each other.  He also figured out how to canter with them on.  He was mildly freaked out, but as long as he was close to grass, he was fine.  I left him in them for about 30 minutes today.  I like that he moves around, I want him to learn to move and respect his boundaries with hobbles on.  I also like that he stayed still and just shifted his back legs around to get new grass.  I like that he was calm and knew to stay still and that he could still graze.  So, overall, I think hobbling is going well.  

I have cleaned out my tack shed and am working on figuring out what to keep at home and what to take with me to the new barn's shared tack room.  I hate not having a locker.  I want my saddle locked up, but I really hate having to pack it around in my car.  I guess I'll just get over it.  I'm thinking I'll take my saddle stand, saddle, first aid kit, groom box, bridle, halter, and feeding items.  Anything else can stay in the trailer or at home.  I ordered a hood on sale from Schneider's for the zero degree winters.  I also ordered a name plate for his halter and bridle.  I am going to have his blanket, hood, and cooler all embroidered with his name before we leave.  I know it is unlikely, but I would really like to prevent any of my stuff from being 'borrowed'.  

Countdown: 19 days (really, less than three weeks already?)

Calm before the storm?

Everything is starting to come together for the move.  We are going to put a deposit down on an apartment tomorrow, we have our storage unit picked out and will make a deposit a week before we move.  The movers are supposed to call me to set up a survey appointment.  We will then be able to set an actual date for the move.  John is supposed to meet  someone who might buy his RV in Norman on Saturday, so we will be moving some of our excess furniture to Edmond for my brother when he moves from California to Texas in August.  My dad is in town this weekend as well, so we will get to see him Sat-Mon.  Saturday is Charley's 2nd birthday!  

As for horse stuff, I have been pretty bummed about the whole endurance season.  I had hoped to do a ride a month starting in May.  Now it is looking more like a ride in Sept, 2-3 in October, and one in November.  All of those will be about 4-6 hours away at the least.  So, I have changed our riding goals a little.  Instead of doing so many hard conditioning rides, I am just focusing on getting on and riding.  I am trying to introduce him to new things each day as well.  Yesterday, we just walked around and worked on leg yields, circles, stopping and backing.  Our 'new thing' was me waving my arms around while we were walking.  Today, I finished trimming his feet (which he stood very well for!) and then I worked him in the round pen a little.  I hopped on him with just the halter and lead rope in the round pen and we worked on neck reining, stopping off my seat, and backing.  I got off of him and our 'new thing' today was me mounting him from the ground bareback!  At first he tried to move away, but on the second try he stood still as I pulled myself up and over!  I was actually surprised I could hop up like that!  I could barely do it when I was little on 14.2 hh Windy, and with 16.2 hh Fire I could only get up by climbing up his front leg!  

Sabumi's right eye has been weeping for about a week now and hasn't gotten any better.  It isn't swollen, he isn't holding it shut, and it doesn't seem itchy.  So, I flushed it out with eye rinse today and will keep doing that tomorrow and will take him to the vet clinic if he needs his nasal duct flushed.  Fire had that done once and it was very cool to watch!  

We move in about 20 days!