Changing Times...

Things change. Our circumstances have changed. Our location has changed. Funny how things you think will NEVER change manage to change, even without your permission!

We now live on a (low) mountainside in northeast Arkansas (my poor husband is a Texas fish out of water up here!). Two and a half acres of fenced, rolling land, in yet another doublewide--about the same age as the Texas one, is what we now call home.

I am down to four horses now: Buffi, Symphony, Mustang, and Dragon.
I simply couldn't haul all of them in my little 4-horse mini trailer, so Radar, Spirit and my precious Magic went on to new homes. (I miss them so much!)

Hope and Polly, ages 34 and 35, were supposed to come with us. I had made arrangements for them to be shipped up here, had their Coggins, health certificates, etc., etc., but it was not to be. A week before we moved, sweet little Hope began to suffer organ failure. Kidneys, mostly, but liver, digestive tract also. She would not survive a 375 mile trip. Because I promised my fried Virtus that I would never separate those two old ladies, they were euthanized together. Now, their halters hang beside the door between the barn & the workshop.

This place came with a trio of rotten chickens. I have named them in part due to the order they normally run:  Lady Red, (a Rhode Island Red) Lady Too (a gold-laced Wyandotte), and Caboose (also gold-laced Wyandotte). The Wyandottes lay eggs sometimes, and don't sometimes. The RIR lays eggs with NO shell and NO membrane. Basically, you get scrambled egg on the ground... They are fun to watch, as chickens usually are!

My barn cat, MomCat, came up here with us, with me intending her to be a barn cat here, too. Didn't take long to realize she would likely not survive long. Too many predators! Coyotes, wolves, owls, foxes, bobcats, even a bear or two (though I haven't seen any of those, thankfully!). She has become a housecat, just like her two surviving kittens, Bunny & Skyy. Still semi-feral around everyone but me, but she grows more comfortable every day. If she had been miserable and stressed to be indoors (outside of the expected level of relocating by way of an 8-hour car ride), I would have turned her outside and hoped she would survive the dangers outdoors. I'm glad I don't have to worry about her every time she doesn't show up to feedtime now. She's a love!

2018 is on its way out, and 2019 will be here in less than a month. Here's wishing everyone a joyful, prosperous, love-filled 2019!

Our new place:

 Back yard view

 Horse pasture

Pine tree--driveway sentinel

Miniature Horses Offered For Sale

I am unwillingly needing to part with three (or four) of my beautiful Miniature Horses. We will be moving out of state in a few months, and I have a mini-sized 4-horse trailer, and NINE horses.

Two are very old mares, who will likely (hopefully) be staying behind with a trusted friend.  (If not, I will have them shipped professionally by friends I trust to care properly for them in their advanced age...)

Which leaves SEVEN. Three must find homes before we leave!

Available to approved homes are:

Tinker Toy Crimson Spirit, 2003 sorrel gelding, AMHA registered. He is the "stock-type", and now that AMHA is allowing stock-type classes, he would be a lovely little halter horse. He qualified as a two-year-old for World Championship Youth Show with a five-year-old boy in Seven & Under Showmanship.  With a little time and update in training, he would make a superb AOTE or Amateur show horse in showmanship, halter, and performance classes, although I'm not certain his temperament would make him suitable as a driving horse. He is athletic and a sweet boy!  $500

Radar, grade Harnessbred Pony, trained to drive, but needs refresher. He was a rescue and it took a while to regain his trust. He is slow to warm to new people, but is ever the gentleman. Easy to handle (not real fond of electric clippers, though), he is happiest when given time to decide it's HIS idea, not yours. Patience & humor win him over! Exquisite way of going, he has that reaching Standardbred trot, and would make a dynamic CDE horse! 38.5" tall, Radar is 10 years old in 2017.  $550

Thousand Oaks Stryke's Southern Gent, aka Mustang, 2005 AMHR gelding, 36" tall, he's registered as a silver dapple Appaloosa, though he is actually a silver chocolate varnish roan Appaloosa (AMHR does not recognize silver chocolate or varnish, last I heard).

Mustang is sired by an AMHA World Champion Pleasure Driving Stallion, and is out of an AMHR National Champion Halter mare. He would make a really nice pleasure or show driving horse, and is athletic enough for many of the performance classes in AMHR.  $500

I have not done much with any of these boys (life gets in the way every time I try, it seems), and they are willing and able. They just need someone knowledgeable and patient enough to teach them what they need to learn.

If you are interested in any of the, please call me @ (972) 754-6871.

I will consider a package deal of you want two or all three of them!

ALSO AVAILABLE:  Four-wheel buggy, newly refurbished, suitable for B-size miniature or Shetland Pony, or change the shafts out for a team pole for a smaller pair to pull (not included).  $500

My precious, beloved Zenya (aka Zenswept) is no more. She left me a few weeks short of her second birthday.
She has been gone over a month now, almost two, and my heart is still raw.
I found a short video I took on my iPhone of her fetching a silly little toy she loved, and it hurt so much to see her and know I can never hear her mumbling to herself, or feel her silky-soft coat, or find her sleeping under the covers with me in the mornings.
I know in time the pain fades (somewhat), but the scar pulls at my very soul, never allowing me to forget that someone so dear to me was ripped away much too soon...

R.I.P., sweet Zenya. Peace is yours, as the agony of your loss is mine. I love you, and I miss you every day.

Introducing: Zenswept

I had a safe, if long, trip to Houston (I hate driving on I45!) to pick up my new Oriental Shorthair kitten.  What a girl!  She's beautiful and bratty, all at once.

I had kinda thought about the name Windswept, but when my favorite racehorse of all time, Zenyatta, had her first filly on Easter Sunday (previously, she's had two colts), I wanted to name her in honor of Zenyatta--but I didn't want to name her ZENYATTA.  So, her name is a bit of a cross between the two names:  Zenswept (Zenya for short).

Ebony classic tabby Oriental Shorthair kitten Zenswept

What a face!

OK, No Hyperbike. :(

Too many other things requiring $$ to be able to part with about $1800.

Part of it is a new kitten that I will be traveling to Houston for in a couple of weeks!  Since I lost my 19-year-old Siamese in January, and my beloved Mithlin is now 13 years old, I deemed it necessary to add another Oriental, Siamese, or Colorpoint Shorthair face to the feline crew.  A cat show in Mesquite, TX helped me find a lovely lady by the name of Chris Willingham, who has a litter of Oriental Shorthair kittens that were almost ready for new homes.  One of those babies will come live with me when she's old enough.  I can't wait!

Pictures when she arrives. . .

Life Is . . .

Been a while since I posted on my blogs.  Had some computer issues, but I now have a new one that works.  Made the mistake of having all the data transferred from the old one to the new one.  Might not have been such an issue if the old one hadn't been so, well, OLD.  Four operating systems apart (8 years worth--that's a lifetime for computers!), the new one looked at about 30% of the data and said, "What the hell is that?!?!?"  Some things defaulted to the old version, some to the new.  I'm still working out what went where!  

We got a little income tax money back this year, and I'm thinking really hard about getting a Hyperbike for driving my horses!  It's the only roadster cart built specifically (well, the only CART, period) for miniature horses, rather than being a downsized standard horse cart, very lightweight, and super cool!  Wide wheelbase, so it's less likely to overturn, making it safer.  It comes in 3 shaft sizes, and I'd have to buy 2 of them to fit all my horses.  Easy to change out, so that wouldn't be too bad.  Cheaper than buying 2 carts & better than only being able to use on one or two horses.

I've thought about getting a show cart, but the chances of me actually showing are pretty remote . . .  Waste of money!

Waiting for warm enough (and dry enough) weather to start bodyclipping.  Hard work, mostly standing on my head, but like Christmas, unwrapping beautiful little horses!  One of the things I love about spring!

Now, if I can get enough dry weather to finish tilling the garden, so I can get things planted . . .

Changes!

It's been a while since I've been on this blog (forgot about it for a bit!).  I've got a 2013 Photo Challenge going on a Wordpress blog (dragonfur.wordpress.com), but I thought I'd update this one a little.

First, the horses:

I lost Bonfire June 20, 2011.  He injured a stifle, and endured a failed surgical repair of it.  He finally began to have problems in his back and his other hind leg (if he had been a full sized horse, I'm sure he would have foundered in the front feet, as Barbaro did--along with the other hind foot), and we took one more trip to the lameness specialist.  Dr. Spencer could come up with no miracles, so Bonfire was euthanized, with his good friend Buffi at his side.  I have had a pendant made of some of his mane & tail hair.  It has one blue stone & one brown one, to match his eyes.  It resides on the box that holds his ashes.  I will miss him always.

We had such a miserably HOT summer that summer, with temps reaching 112º officially.  The thermometer in the barn showed 117º and the one on the front porch showed 122º!

Ladyhawk succumbed to the long, drawn-out heat at the end of August 2011.  The vets said they had more colics the last two weeks of August than they'd had all year.  The  unrelenting heat just wore them down.  R.I.P. Ladyhawk.

Sold Kittyhawk last summer, then added Radar, a grade 38 1/2" rescue pony, a week later!  Then two senior mares, Hope (28" tall!) and Polly (Bonfire's mom), joined me in late August.

So I went from eight to six to NINE!  Never thought I'd have NINE HORSES!  Glad they're minis!

Bonfire

4/23/2003-6/20/2011 

Ladyhawk

6/11/2000-8/28/2011

Radar

Radar

Hope & Polly

in Winter Woolies

Well, It's Mother's Day 2010

My 2009 Challenge died and went to photography heaven about half way through the year. With all the things that were going on in my life (and most still are), I just no longer had the energy (or time!) to photograph or post on a regular basis.

Life is still overwhelming right now, but I have a little time--I'm on vacation this week (yea!!!). I'm doing body-clipping on the horses. It gets hot way before they're shed out, so clipping helps them keep cooler during the spring and early summer.

So far Buffi, Bonfire, Ladyhawk, and Spirit are done, although Spirit still sports winter hair on his back and hips. (He has sun sensitivity, and must wear a flysheet during the summer--which he HATES--so I leave the protective winter hair until Mother Nature rids him of it. That way he wears his flysheet about a month less than he would if I clipped him like I do the rest of the horses.

Kittyhawk will not be clipped, as she is shedding out so nice and slick already. I cleaned up her head, lower legs, and bridlepath (the mane right behind her ears), and am trying to help the winter coat remaining shed out quicker. She's almost done!

Mustang and Symphony remain to be done. Since yearlings don't shed very well on their own for some reason, Symphony will be left till last. Mustang will get his started tomorrow if it stops raining. (Not getting much, just enough to make me NOT want to run an electric cord from the house to the barn!) Cool mornings like yesterday and today require that everyone clipped wear a blanket (which Spirit also hates), so I'm busy this time of year pulling blankets off in the morning and replacing them at night.

BTW: Symphony will not be known officially as Symphony in Silk, as originally planned. She has turned into a lovely bright red sorrel with a flaxen mane and tail, and will be registered as Sunrise Symphony. Seems to fit her better. Photos coming after everyone's clipped!

To all the mothers who read this (whether you have children or pets!), HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY!

166 - Larger Than Life

The same day I took the pigeon photos, I captured a hawk moments after he brought down one of those same pigeons for a big dinner. Unfortunately for him, a much larger hawk was gliding nearby, and decided to nab a free meal. He landed near the smaller hawk with his catch, and proceeded to intimidate him with his superior size. After a moment or two, the smaller one conceded defeat and left the kill to the big one. This is the imposing stance the big one took to obtain his pre-caught feast! Might impressive thief, isn't he?!?

157 - In My Neighborhood

A flock of pigeons have moved into the rural area where I live, much to the pleasure of the red-tailed hawks (and feral cats). I managed to get my camera out (for the first time in a while--life gets in the way sometimes) and get a few shots of the pigeons' aerial dancing. I just missed a red-tailed hawk bringing down a pigeon, but did get a few of him on the ground with it, and a bigger (much bigger!) hawk laying claim to it.

This photo is part of the dance. Amazing that they just don't run into each other--although when the hawks showed up, they got a little crazy, losing the rhythm and direction synchronicity. Still, no collisions. Fascinating!

197 - Neglected

This is a true old-fashioned (and just plain old) picket fence. It surrounds one of the houses making up Chestnut Square in McKinney. The house has been refurbished, so it looks almost new (even though it's over 100 years old), but did someone forget about the fence? It has that benign air of neglect, somehow seems a bit more inviting and friendly than a pristine, newly erected picket fence would have. I just love this old fence!

212 - Open

Well, that's what it says! (Window of a restaurant in McKinney, TX.)

284 - Silly

There were several funky frogs placed throughout downtown McKinney. I'd guess that each was done by a different artist, though I have no ideas what the purpose of the frogs is! They're cute, anyway!

49 - Chores

All right, so it's been a while since this has been used for any chores! How would you have liked washing clothes in a machine such as this?

221 - Outdoor Seating

Someone was having a good time on a Saturday night! (And a fun ride home.)

1- One Hundred

Four days old . . .
One Hundred days old . . .

Symphony is 100 days old! My how she's grown, and the things she's learned! Still fuzzy, but less so. That fuzzy baby coat is almost gone. The coat under it is still a little fuzzy, so no slick, summery coat this year! When she sheds her winter coat next spring as a yearling, then she'll have that nice slick shine. Look at that face! Huge difference in 3+ months, don't you agree?

Free Theme #5 - Against All Odds

On the ledge running below the roof level of the historic Collin County courthouse in downtown McKinney, pigeon spikes--intended to prevent pigeons from landing and roosting on the ledge--hold in place . . . a pigeon nest!

Using the spikes to keep the nest in place, it is protected from being blown off by storms or attacked by aerial predators. The very thing put up to prevent the nest is the thing that keeps it safe -- against all odds.

54 - Closed

Ski shop? Snowbird store? No merchandise that I could see inside, but I loved the sign and the sentiment!

53 - Clocks

County courthouse, downtown McKinney, Texas. Another Photowalk photo. (That was just so much fun! I'm going to try to do it again next year!)

196 - Navigational Aids

This is the bit of a carriage horse in McKinney, TX, photographed during the Photowalk last Saturday. The bit (and the reins attached to it, of course) are the lines of communication with which you navigate your horse. So, I see the bits as navigational aids. It's a stretch, but this was one of my favorite shots (don't know why!) from the walk. (And I love that you can see the shank part of the bit of the nearer horse, out of focus.)