Saturday, October 9, 2010

Call off the search ...

Hey, I'm back!  Had to get myself yet ANOTHER computer (that's three this year) because windows locked up and the last one wouldn't reboot.  Those things don't make me panic anymore, though, because not only do I store all my documents and photos on an external hard drive, I also have Mozy, an online backup service, that stores everything off all my drives online twice a day.  So when I get a new computer, I just go online and download everything off my old computer.  And now that the new one is in place (complete with 1 terrabite hard drive!), I'm going to take the last two out to Computer Heaven and let those guys replace the hard drives and install new windows software.  Then Mark -- who hasn't had a new computer in a few years now -- will have a new (FAST) computer, complete with TV taping ability. 

I got the computer TV receiver so that we can tape TV shows directly to a hard drive and  NOT to the DISH receiver.  Then when the DISH receiver crashes next time we will still have all the shows we've been taping but have not yet watched.  Our DISH receivers will each tape something like 150 hours of shows, but if something happens and you have to get a new receiver (which we did last year) --  or if you decide to jettison DISH in favor of cable or DirectTV or something down the road -- all that stuff is lost because DISH records in a proprietary format that cannot be read without their software.  NOT good. 

Okay.  Now.  Where was I?  Oh, yes.  Why haven't I been posting.  Well . . . mostly it's because Janet and Mike gave Mark and me each one of those Power Balance bracelets for our anniversary a couple weeks back.  What's THAT got to do with it, you ask?  Well, let me start by saying that I never would have gotten one of those things for myself because it just sounds like such a bunch of malarkey:


Yeh, right. So when we came home that weekend, I took it off and laid it on my desk next to my computer and then forgot about it. Last weekend I was looking for something on my desk when I uncovered that hologram bracelet. I didn't want to forget to take it downstairs and store it in my jewelry box so I stuck in on my arm and continued my search for the papers I needed. I intended to find them, then go downstairs and take a nap until time to go feed the horses that evening. Ha! Half an hour later I was moving the furniture I've been wanting to move for the last six months! I moved the TV armoir out of the bedroom and into the entry hall until I can find someone who wants to have it. I moved the triple dresser out of our closet and into the bedroom where I set the old TV on it until I can get a flatscreen to hang above it later on. Then I moved the tall chest out of the bedroom and into the closet (that switch will make room in the closet to park the cart I use to haul laundry back and forth from the closet to the laundry room next to the chest instead of right in the middle of the closet floor). Then I vacuumed and steam cleaned the floors in the bedroom, closet, and bath.  Once that was done, I rearranged the rest of the bedroom furniture (lingerie chest, recliner, end tables, dog crate, etc.) and started on the clearing out of old clothes and straightening up of drawers. Then I headed over to the barn and filled enough of the horses' feed containers to last two more weeks. I didn't really think much about any of it at the time, but when I got ready to go to bed that night I suddenly realized that I had gotten done in one day most of the things I had been putting off for the last six months because I've just felt too old and tired!    Don't know how long this new energetic feeling will last, but I'm trying hard to accomplish as much as possible before the effect wears off!!  If it's the "placebo effect," so be it.  Whatever works!  But it HAS worked so far!

Not only have I been busy lately trying to catch up on all the stuff I've let go for ages, but we have also adopted another new dog.  I think I told you about "Boo" (a/k/a "Bouchon" a/k/a "Charlie") earlier -- the dog whose owner wanted him euthanized because he killed her goats?  Well, he came "home" to our place yesterday and he is just the BEST dog.  He knows (and actually listens to) all the requisite commands:  sit, stay, come, down, no, etc.  He does NOT try and get out of the fenced yard.  He much prefers people to other dogs, cats, or being by himself.  And he is absolutely GORGEOUS!! 


 It does look like it's going to take a while for Rocky and Joey to get used to having him around, though.  I can't see where he seems at all agressive, but Joey growls and carries on every time he sees him.  Boo doesn't pay a lot of attention to him and he eventually settles down.  But Rocky, on the other hand, STAYS aggressive.  Very odd because Rocky has never been aggressive with anyone before.  But I would never leave them alone together the way things are now.  I always remember Ben and Jeanne, our first adopted pit.  She was extremely aggressive and used to harrass Ben at every opportunity.  He seemed to ignore her just as Boo ignores Rocky and Joey.  But Jeanne was accidentally left in the yard with Ben once for only a hour or two and when we came back she was dead.  There were no obvious wounds, but when we looked closely we found just one bite mark, but her jugular had been severed and she had bled to death.  NOW we are EXTREMELY careful not to leave anyone in with anyone else EVER unless we are absolutely certain there won't be any problems.  And that won't ever happen for at least six months after we get a new dog, even if they DO appear to get along with the others.

Whatever it takes, though, will be worth it.  Boo is just the absolute best dog.  He's very quiet - haven't heard him bark yet (although he does whine and cry when I leave him).  He walks perfectly on a leash.  He obeys all commands instantly.  What a guy!  Thanks, Torri, for finding him for us!

Now about THIS weekend:

Today I'm staying at home to continue the closet upgrade.  I'm going to haul the six suitcases stored on Mark's end of the closet upstairs and store them in the closets in the guest rooms (since our guests are unlikely to need all the space in those walk-in closets while Mark definitely does).  Then I'm going to go through all Mark's stuff and try to arrange it in a way that he will be able to find things.  When he comes home, he said he will go through it all again and pull out the things that don't fit so we can donate them along with all of mine that I've already culled.

Then several times today I'm going to put two of the dogs out in the big new yard together.  I'm not going to try putting all three out together until Mark gets home, though, in case they decide to fight.  There is no way I could get three of them separated by myself.

Tomorrow morning Torri is going to help me out with Duke.  I'm going to work him in the round pen, then saddle him up and see if he remembers how to be ridden!  It's been quite a while.  Mark has been busy trying to get our barn and fencing finished so we can bring them all home so he hasn't had time to ride Duke.  And Ladybug and Lizzie haven't been ridden all year.   Bug had gotten to where she would throw her head and take off in a super-fast side pass when I tried to ride her last year.  I thought it might be a problem with the bit, or because I had put on enough weight that between me and the saddle it amounted to more than 20% of her weight.  But I don't think it's either, actually.  I think she just needs some retraining.  If Lizzie doesn't get into rideable shape shortly, I think I'm going to send Bug out to Zoilo's place and let him get her back into practice, then when she comes back have him make sure I'm riding her properly.  But in the meantime, I think I'm going to try and work with Duke while Mark finishes up the barn.  Then when he gets back to riding him himself (hopefully trail riding with Janet and Mike, maybe?) he will have been worked enough to be manageable.  Thus the plan to work with him with Torri tomorrow. . .

Then tomorrow afternoon I'm going to drive out to Janet and Mike's place to meet their TWO NEW HORSES!  Wow!  Here's Sammy, the first one she bought last week:

Janet said when she tried him out she didn't ever want to get off -- and that it had been a long time since she's had that feeling (since Impreso was diagnosed with DSLD, I imagine).  I obviously don't know how it feels to ride him, but he sure looks gorgeous!  Can't wait to see him tomorrow.

While Janet was over checking out Sammy, his previous owner was telling her about someone she knew who for health reasons is having to sell all her horses, so Janet went over and looked at those, too.  Well, one of those turned out to appeal to her as well, although he has some problems with his feet and is in less-than-perfect physical shape at the moment.  But having done horse rescue for many years, she knows very well which things will ultimately be a problem and which will not.  He's a VERY lucky boy to be coming home to a place where he will be well and truely rehabilitated.

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