Happy Thanksgiving!

I actually don't like Thanksgiving, but I think if I smile, act cheerful and wish everyone a Happy Thanksgiving, the day will go quickly and be over with. My dad committed suicide on Thanksgiving day, 10 years ago, and a good friend's father did the same when we were in high school, so it's not the best of holidays in my book.

But....it might be in yours, so I'll wish you a wonderful Thanksgiving!

What are you thankful for? I do have things for which to be thankful, so there are some redeeming qualities to the holiday.

My list includes my horses, and having the resources to give them the best of care--especially Ranger right now. I'm also thankful for my friends, new and old. I'm thankful for my aunts & cousins. Closer relatives...not so much since I haven't heard from them in well over a year. I'm thankful for a job I love, flying the coolest Barbie-jet in the world and being senior enough to get a schedule I like, going places I enjoy. I'm grateful that I like Denver a lot, that I'm no longer trapped in Hell, I mean, Colorado Springs. I'm thankful that I was able to invest in two properties that will help secure my future and my retirement. I'm thankful that, despite a year of injuries, crutches, stitches and surgery, I can still ride, do almost everything I want to do, and continue to feel better. I'm grateful that Kalisha is still going strong at 18 years of age. I'm grateful that a few people care enough about me and what I'm up to to read this blog!

I'm also grateful for my iphone, which allows me to capture images like this! Duck Duck Goose! Seriously?!!! How fun!


Trish & I went shopping, and stopped in Saks. This is a dress, possibly for an Amazon. I know I'm small, but really!

Guess who we spotted at the mall?I helped Trish put new floors in her kitchen and bathroom. We got it done right the first time, and it looks terrific! The ugly yellow squares were the old floor in both rooms, circa 1960.

The Galt House hotel in Louisville is ready for Christmas. Everything is edible!

Well, everything except Santa and the reindeer...although I did have reindeer steaks and reindeer sausage in Norway with Bjorg...and it was yummy.

Hope you are stuffing yourself with stuffing, turkey and pumpkin pie! Save room for seconds! Then, up at 4a for Black Friday! :-)

Not so good...

Ranger had his re-evaluation today. He's moving much better, but there is still lameness evident in his front left foot, particularly after the flexion test.

The vet also x-rayed his right front foot and found that the side-bone there is also huge, so whatever is going on in the left isn't anything I did or didn't do for him--it's genetic.

The vet will do another course of sound wave therapy on Friday, then start us on a rehab exercise program. The big question will be: can he stay sound enough to ride?

If not, we'll do an MRI and see if he'd be a candidate for surgical removal of the side-bone. If that's not an option, he'll be retired to pasture for the rest of his life.

So, I'm sad and worried tonight.

Me & Andy

JB Andrew is an amazing BLM mustang superstar. He was captured in Winnimucca, NV as a yearling and sent to Canon City Correctional Center in Colorado, where he was eventually gentled by an inmate. He grew to 16.2 HH (Ranger is 14.2 HH) and 1500 lbs (Ranger is 900 lbs). He was adopted by a woman who named him JailBird Andrew, after the inmate who gentled him.

Andy went on to become an outstanding dressage horse. However, nobody expected anything of him because he was a mustang, not an exceptionally well-bred registered warmblood like most other high-level dressage horses. Then Andy began moving up the levels, and people began taking notice. He was issued his own BLM Wild Horse Trading Card (which I have, of course).Then he was issued his very own Breyer model (which I also have, of course!).Doesn't Ranger look a lot like Andy?

Yesterday, I finally got to meet JB Andrew! Andy is 25 years old, now. He's still amazing, and what an ambassador for the BLM Wild Horse program! This was a total thrill for me, meeting such a superstar! His owner, Kelly, graciously let me sit in on a lesson that she was teaching, then let me meet, visit with, pet, and lead Andy around, as well as feed him carrots (which are also Ranger's favourite treat!).

Speaking of Ranger, it snowed here a week ago. We were out in it, of course, because he is still on stall rest and has to be walked every day for 10 minutes, so I'm out there, rain, snow, hail, brimstone or locusts...

Watching it snow...OK, it's cold enough. Let's go back inside where there's hay!Hope you aren't freezing! We're expecting 8-12" today, but I haven't seen a flake yet...

Day of the Dead

I don't recall if I included this previously, but it was last week at 6am at the airport. What a gorgeous sunrise! What was I doing up so early!?!

This was two days later (Thursday), driving to the airport to go back to work. I don't like pigeons, but do you see them all hunkered down at the top of the billboard? There had to be over 100 huddled together, trying to stay out of the wind and stay warm.I would never take pictures while driving, so I'm not sure how this got on my camera while I drove to work.People think that we have the most glamourous lives, flying all over the country, staying in 5-star hotels, like the one in Boise with the psychedelic carpet and seizure-inducing paneling in the elevator...Um...what is WRONG with this picture?Trish came over on Halloween after her church's Halloween party, where everyone had to dress as a biblical character. Doesn't she look lovely? She even had on silver eyelashes!

She also brought me a birthday present (Bath & Body works gift basket) and a cupcake! We watched Harry Potter & the Sorcerer's Stone. It was a nice quiet birthday.I spent the night in Missoula, where they celebrate the Day of the Dead. They have a huge parade through downtown at night. It was a lot of fun!She mentioned having a bad headache and asked me for some aspirin.Saw something I just didn't need to see at the end of my trip. Really. Why? At work???

Thank you to everyone who sent Birthday wishes! It's nice to be remembered on your special day, isn't it?

Week of HORRORS!

What a frightening week! It all started Saturday with the Halloween Gymkhana at the barn!Angelie on Sophie, Eva on the ground, and Sarah on her horse Barbaro, all watching the barrel races.Fast!!!Slow!!!! That's Kenny on Beau. Doesn't Beau look good for 22? He & Kenny are a good pair.Angelie on Sophie. Sophie is a Halflinger. Halflingers are light draft horses, not generally known for being barrel races. Thus the walk around the barrels.Andrea on Lexus. Andrea doesn't know that Halflingers don't do barrels. Neither does Lexus!Kenny, Beau and Kenny's dog in a quiet moment between classes.Little Louie is the son of Luis, the man who feeds and cleans. He's such a doll, and a good little horseman! He doesn't have a horse, so Marcie loaned Silhouette to him. We dressed her up as a cow, and he's a cowboy for the costume contest.Lisbeth, his sister, idolizes her big brother!Ranger got his feet done during all of the ruckus. He was supposed to be a zebra. I was going to paint stripes on him with white body paint. I was going to be a lion, but I didn't think it was wise to take him out with his injury. So, we'll do Halloween next year.This was Hippie Horse--check out the tie-dye socks and the Peace stickers all over him!Of course, he wasn't feeling very Peaceful!What Happens in Vegas Stays in Vegas.There's always a vampire and a bat around somewhere!

The bat even tried to fly!Alice, what are you and the White Rabbit doing?Just in case, the Lone Ranger and Tonto were there to save the day!

Wham! Pow! Bang! Dana and BATMAN!!!!Holy Capes, Batman!Close up of our cow and cowboy. Note the horns!Um, enough said. Poor Beau. Blue eye shadow? Lipstick? No wonder Mike is laughing!Cinderella with her Pumpkin Coach, and her ugly stepsister complete with a rat. Note the cheese!Pepperoni or veggie? Thick crust or thin? Sara and Barbaro are making dinner!Desperate Horsewives....Beau and Trish. Yes, that's a raspberry robe on Beau! They won SECOND PLACE in the contest! Hippie Horse won first, and Dana & Batman won third. Congratulations, Trish & Beau!Marci and Betty. Betty has a Halflinger and a mini. Both are trained to drive, and Betty zips around the property and onto the nearby trails in her cart.

It was snowing on the way to the airport Wednesday. I thought that the way the snow adhered to the poles was interesting. Looks like someone went a little nuts with icing, doesn't it?This is what the dungeon looks like. This is underneath the airport, underground. The ramp level is next, then above that is the concourse. No. Really. Pink velour? To wear on a flight? Why?Greg, don't read this part!

This is a bad day. Notice the difference in power settings between the left and right engines. This is a failure of the left engine. It was the start of my flight day Wednesday. It didn't get any better.The last flight of a United 737, from Chicago, as United has retired the entire 737 fleet. They went to Denver, then SFO or San Diego. The Captain retired that day, too. He's only ever flown the 737, and told UAL that the last day of the 737 would be his last day with the company. Tailwinds to you, Captain!Another bad day. See the ice? This is considered moderate icing. We had anywhere from 1-2" accumulating.Then my anti-ice systems failed. That's not good.We landed safely after declaring an emergency, though.

Then I got home to this! That lump is my tree. That's my truck, too.Look at the pile on my fence--almost 10"! Brrr....I have to head out for another fun day of flying, leaving in about an hour. I went out to the garage to get my snow shovel and guess what? It's frozen shut. Adversity breeds genius, however, so I had to improvise. Did you know that a MOP does a great job sweeping off a truck? It also doubles as a decent snow shovel. Who knew? I'm going to keep one in the truck, because you can stand far enough away to get snow off, and not get dusted!

Send warm thoughts!