Spring around the corner...Anxiety Risin'

Well, I know the frequency of my blog posts has slowed...mainly because there's nothing new to report. Weather is the same, landscape is the same, kitties and Doodle are the same...still have the same few barns (only three of which can be expected to stay on a regular schedule)....same, same, same....

Winter is stir crazy time here...nothing much happens, no events or anything to attend to make many connections on the horse front. Most folks hang out in the local "saloons" , if they hang out at all...so its bars or nothing and that is SOOOOOO not my scene!

Things will start jumpin' here locally in April when they have the Spring Roundup and drive the horses through downtown Three Forks...

For those of you who are interested (yooo hooo, Mary Leslie?) this years Horse Round Up is April 22-24

http://www.montanahorses.com/html/Horse_Drive.html

This year they have anew thing...a photography expedition! 

http://www.montanahorses.com/html/Horse_Drive_Photo_Expedition.html (HEY MARY! ;)

I look forward to it and dread it at the same time. Just as I look forward to and dread the beginning of "horse" events here. While it will be a time to meet with horse folks and make more connections, it will require a huge amount of biting my tongue as I walk among people who  in many cases, treat horses in ways I am vehemently opposed to and work hard to educate against. Talk about a rock and a hard place!!

Anyway...with the world on fire and gas prices threatening to go to $4 or $5 a gallon...that will certainly put a damper on my plans since there is nowhere in Montana that isn't a hefty drive from anywhere else!! Add to that...I still need to find a place to rent where I can bring the critters up...gas prices could seriously effect that even if I find a place! I can hear my hair turning grayer by the minute! So anxiety is risin'...but I'm flexible and resilient if anything...so I'll roll with whatever comes ;)

Hope all is well with all of you.

Still Kickin'...or Trudging...;)

Well, still plugging along. Have a total of five barns now, but I don't know if all of them will stay on a regular schedule. Hopefully, but...

Weather has been in the 30's and 40's all of February, so far. I remember talking to locals about the mild January weather and they kept telling me, yeah but wait until February! Uh...okay...more than half way through and its warmer than January! No snow to peak of...light dustings a couple of times, but mostly gone in a day! Of course, this isn't "normal"...but for a southern kid trying to adjust, I'll take it!

There might not be much snow, or "Montana" cold weather, but there is this....

How cool is that??? Sights like that are food for the soul!

Hugs to all!

Scrubbies!

Well...in my journey of discovery to find out how well I can do with practically nothing...I have had another "scathingly brilliant" idea!  It should have occurred to me years ago, but it didn't have to...you the old saying, "Necessity is a mother....uh, THE mother...of invention"...yeah, that's it. ;)



Okay, so you all know the red net-like back that oranges come in? For years, I've held onto those things thinking they ought to be good for something. they looked like a cool net kind of thingy. So I kept them and they just piled up until I would get tired of pushing them aside to get at something else and would toss them.

Well, today I stared at one that I held onto from shortly after I got here, for the same reason "Ought to be good for something"....! As I pondered whether I should spend $2 for new pot scrubbies (the one I have is disintegrating)...it hit me...

Ah HA! This thing can be made into pot scribbies!!! Its plastic, soft and non abrasive!! Whoo hooo!!!

Here's it is in progress, I can get two scrubbies out of one orange bag!

There's the first one!

 

I used the string hanging off the bottom to tie it into a ball.Then make another one out of the top part.

Works great! Give it a try!

Hugs to all!

Easy Come, Easy Go and One Woke up!

Well...I had a new customer....then I didn't!
Had a call last week from a woman. She and her husband moved here from Idaho, about the same time I did. they are only about 15 minutes east of here. That would make them GREAT customers geographically!

She had found my contact information online and was very excited when she called and I told her that, yes indeed I was taking new clients ;)!! We had an appointment all set up.....and then....
she called the night before.

It seems that her husband has a cousin here who "specializes in barefoot"...apparently the hubby didn't even know the cousin (or didn't know what the cousin does) but the family grapevine let him know! The woman called and profusely apologizing told me they felt they had to "give the cousin a chance." Well...okie dokey!

The bright spot is....remember the gal who was waiting for "good weather" to have me out to trim her two mares? Recall I said that I hoped she didn't intend to wait until spring??!
Well her horse's feet had other ideas and they seriously needed a trim. That woke her up and she called. Fortunately, the weather here has been downright balmy for the bast few weeks....MUCH better than
you guys in Georgia have had ....

So, its creeping along....sloooooowly....but at least the weather is great!

Hope all is well down there in the Southland!


Oh and...bitty kittie has discovered the indoor whirlpool...LOL!

Snow? Where?!

Snow last week.....

 in GEORGIA!

Same week in MONTANA!!

No, I did not mix up the pictures...!

Well I guess when you all get sick of the snow, c'mon  up to Montana!! LOL!

Itty Bitty Kitty Update

Well, Itty Bitty Kitty is doing great! Nose cooties seem to be pretty much conquered. She's full of energy, likes nothing better than to rearrange the location of every loose object in sight! She has a particular attraction to pens. When I worked in the medical profession, it was always a battle to hang onto pens, someone was always swiping someone else's pen...you guarded really good pens with your life and snarled at anyone who even looked at it!  Now, I have to chase a kitten down for my pen...LOL! She uses her front paws like hands and actually picks things up between them, then stands up on her hind legs holding her prize in the air. Talent!!

The only problem I've noticed since all her infections seem to have cleared is that she cannot "meow" ...she tries to "talk" to me often, asking to be rubbed, scritched, petted or held, but an only manage a raspy little hissing sound. The extent of her early illness may have damaged her vocal chords. I hope it will improve in time. Its kind of sad, but does add to her "Awwwwww" factor!

She stays close to her "big brother" Jackpot...just the cutest little thing!

 

Awwwwww! ;)

She doesn't have a real name yet....I'm open to suggestions!

New Year!!

Just a short entry to let you all know I'm still here...still kickin'!!!

Christmas went by all weird as it was the first one ever away from my kids....THAT isn't going to happen again!! Not fun at all! The New Year rolled in with barely a notice out here in the boonies with no TV .......no one gets in a big fizz about New Years here...no fireworks anywhere nearby. Probably a few folks upside down on bar stools, but since I don't frequent the saloons .

The weather hasn't been much worse here than in Georgia! Actually, I don't think we've had much more snow that down there...it just hangs around longer here. Looks like you guys are due for some more soon? Aren't you all happy that I'm nice enough to share all that Montana snow with you guys??? LOL!!

The critters are doing fine...Doodles breath still smells like road kill...the cats are well adjusted...Itty Bitty Kittie is doing very well. Not growing, but the sweetest little thing!! Jackpot is still her "dude"....looks out fro her and she adores him, goes everywhere he goes.

I'll get back to more regular posing...just wanted to touch base..!

Hope all is well with everyone! Stay safe, stay warm!

Here's to hopes for a prosperous new year! Cheers!