OK, OK, I know it's been forever!!!! And I'm not actually sure how long it's been. All I know is that I've been busy!
Ranger had surgery on October 19th, to remove the nerve in his leg that transmitted the pain from his sidebone. It's a common surgery, but one I wanted to avoid. He was in so much pain, though, that I decided to go forward, and I'm glad I did! He's back under saddle--in fact, here's a pic from last week from our first ride in 4 months! Look how happy we both are!
RJ is growing like a weed! He had a lot to overcome; he was pretty sick his first few weeks here. He had a serious infection, which is now cleared up. He also had an awful infestation of tapeworms and small encrusted strongyles, so he's been getting dewormer regularly, and now he has a normal parasite load. The worms caused anemia, which has been corrected, and all of the above caused him to lose weight. He's finally put weight back on, and feels great! But best of all, none of his tribulations changed his personality--he's still quiet, affectionate and smart. I can't believe he's a baby--he's so docile! He'll become roommates with a mini (Pumpkin) and Claire, the goat, tomorrow.
Beau blew out his suspensory ligament last month. That's a very serious injury. It could take a year before we know if he can be ridden. I'll probably retire him, though. He's 23 years old, and I'll bet he'd like to be out on a pasture all day, every day, with just the occasional walking ride around the paddock. In the meantime, he gets walked 30 minutes a day, 5 days a week. It's keeping me fit!
We took our yearly Christmas photos today--thanks JJ and Brent for helping! Here are a few of the "behind the scenes" shots--what happens before the good photo is snapped!
Renee from Renee's Friend's Fund, a non-profit charity to help women with breast cancer, gave me her pink ribbon pin to wear. It's on my tie at work, and I'm pretty proud of it!
View from my office window-
Finally, I met someone and we've been dating for a couple of months! He's totally different from any man I've ever dated. He's handsome, smart, funny, educated, respectful--he's the whole package, and he likes cats and sushi, too! Who would have thought that Sue was right--that there really was someone out there for me! She kept saying "I just know it," and, well, he's here! Meet Josh-this was on our first date.
