Peeing Money

I had a "DUH" moment this morning. I was standing in the feed shed looking at my empty bag of Enrich 32 thinking, 'Why am I going through this so quickly?'. So I decided to weigh how much I was feeding Chrome a day again to see if I had miscalculated something. Um . . . yeah that's an understatement!!

The directions on the bag for a horse Chrome's age says they should get 2-2.5lbs of Enrich 32 a day . . . well I marked two pounds on my scoop with a sharpie so I would know how much to feed him, but I forgot that I feed him TWICE daily so I was supposed to mark one pound. So I've been giving Chrome double what he's supposed to get. It won't hurt him, but he was literally peeing money (excess protein is converted to urea and excreted in the urine). Ugh! So I have him back on the appropriate amount. I'm just glad I finally grew a brain and figured it out because I do not need to be throwing money away right now. I did tell Chrome that if he wanted to start peeing money in dollar form I wouldn't complain. :D

Jackal Pictures

For those of you who are sick of seeing pictures of me here are some of Jackal that I took the other day. I LOVE how the lighting turned out.

I hope you enjoyed the pictures of my cutie pupper. Later!

Sunday Stills

I decided I was going to get back into doing Sunday Stills again because I love the challenge and it forces me to get out and take pictures. However this week the challenge was pictures of the blogger, so my husband took these for me. :) I decided to get new ones because I've already posted all of the others I've taken on the blog. Enjoy!

The color was really bad on this one so I decided to do it in black and white. :)

My hair may not have been cooperating, but the wind was hehe.

Chrome was being a pest, but he didn't bite down lol. He was just curious about my jacket.

Yay, ears forward! Good boy Chrome!

Aww Chrome is hugging me back. :-D

Husband is getting better with the camera.

Giving Chrome kisses.

I was giving Chrome a kiss and he grabbed my hair and I smiled. I look goofy!

One more kiss.

Feeding a treat to Led Zeppelin, the donkey I rescued as an untouched three year old. No comments about my tacky muck boots lol.

He's getting much better about me touching his face . . .

. . . but he still doesn't really like it. :D

To see more Sunday Stills go here. It's fun seeing everyone's pictures because in general we photographers don't like having our pictures taken lol. That's why we're the ones always taking them. :D

Time To Crawl!

The winner in the poll is crawl! This is one I tried to teach Storm when she was younger, but before I knew anything about clicker training so I was unsuccessful. My timing was probably all wrong. Hopefully I've improved to the point where I can teach it to Jackal. I'm not going to teach it to Storm because she's nine now and I don't want to stress her joints or anything. She already prefers not to lay on hard floors and she never liked roll over even as a young dog.

My question now is how to get the handy dandy little foot warmer off the couch so we can start training . . . oh yeah, food! ;D

He's so cute. He never even woke up the entire time my husband took these pictures. :) Love my puppy. I will keep you updated on our progress and I will try to record more video footage this time so you can see the progression. :)

Quick Note

Thank you everyone for your comments on my post about Chrome's lameness. I commented with an update, but thought I would put it here too in case you miss it. This morning when I walked to the barn with Chrome he was walking evenly on both rear legs with a perfect one inch overstep. I'm thinking he either slipped or is having growing pains. Either way I'm still asking my trimmer about it, getting more video and getting the info for the chiropractor.

Also I just read on Denali's blog that she's showing some improvement. I really hope this is truly a miracle and that she continues to heal. She was supposed to have been euthanized today but the truck was delayed due to snow. Maybe it's a sign and not just a coincidence. Please keep her in your prayers. Maybe with all of our collective prayers and good wishes she can make a miraculous recovery and stay with her heartbroken mom. Thanks guys.

Oh and I also changed my blog. I was getting tired of the autumn look and decided to just go full blown winter theme. If you can't beat them you might as well join them! I think it turned out pretty nice. :)

Chrome Video

I was determined to take pictures or video yesterday even though the weather was awful since it was Thanksgiving and it's just been so long since I took the camera out. So I got some video footage of us running back to the barn together (sorry if it gives you motion sickness). Ever since we started leasing the land behind our property I have been going out to Chrome, saying hi, then we would run up to the barn together (well he trots lol). Normally I run beside him (even putting my arm on his back), but since I was getting video I ran behind him. He was confused lol.

Anyway on the video when we get back to my property where the land starts to slope uphill you can see what I was seeing in his rear legs. It's normally not so exaggerated (although it is worse on a slope) and normally just looks like a shortness in his stride. In this video it almost looks like limping. Anyway please watch the video and let me know what you think. If you can tell me which leg you think it is I'd appreciate it, because I have my guess and want to know if you see the same thing.

Also please excuse my heavy breathing. I'm out of shape because I haven't been running or biking lately and my head is clogged up from allergies so I can't breathe through my nose when running. I sound like I'm dying lol. Better yet, just leave the sound off haha. :D



It is definitely more pronounced than it was when I posted this video back in October. It is muddy now though and there were a bunch of tracks so he could have slipped or something. Below is the video from October on flat ground.



As soon as I get some money deposited I'm going to call my trimmer and have him come look at him. He really needs a trim again. I'm still thinking this could all be related to the club foot. I can't find any resources on the internet at all about having a club foot in a rear hoof. That's something I can talk to the trimmer about, or the vet if he has no suggestions. Anyway thanks for listening to my silly, worried rambling.

Happy Thanksgiving!

I'm a little sad because Thanksgiving is one of my favorite holidays and I can't spend it with my parents and brother, but I won't let that stop me from enjoying the day and being thankful for what I have.

I am thankful for . . .

My wonderful family, especially my parents who bought me two new oil heaters so I won't freeze. Love you mom and dad!!

My husband, who is a great support when I'm feeling down. Love you honey!

My friends, who always know how to make me laugh. You guys are great!!

My followers and blog buddies. You guys make blogging so much fun! I love sharing with you guys, getting your advice and I love your comments and encouragement. Thank you!!

Internet, because without it I wouldn't have all my awesome blog buddies! :)

My house, for keeping me warm and dry on this icky, rainy day.

My dogs, for keeping my toes warm and putting up with all my hugs. My Jackerpup is so tolerant lol.

My horse, for making my dream come true, being a sweet and loving boy, making me get outside even when I don't want to and for just being there in all his lovely horse-ness.

My donkey, for teaching me patience, giving me a laugh (love those ears), braying to me every single time I pull into the drive way and for being a companion for my Chromey.

My other animals for providing me with enjoyment and happiness.

My husband's temporary disability because without it we would be in a really bad situation right now. And for his doctors who are so kind and understanding as we work through this.

My job, because I love what I do, love the people I work with (although the customers can be awful sometimes) and because in today's economy it's a blessing just to have a job. I feel so lucky to finally have found something I enjoy.

. . . I guess I could go on, but that lists the most important things. My next thought was to thank Netflix, so I don't think we should continue this list lol. I hope everyone is having a wonderful day (and hopefully better weather than we're having here although we did need the rain) and enjoying yummy food. Thank you for reading and commenting. Happy Thanksgiving!!!!

Feeling down . . .

I found Denali's blog a few days ago and I've been reading it during all of my spare time. It completely breaks my heart what they're going through. Her mom has had to make the hardest of decisions and it kills me to think what she must be going through. I dread Friday almost as much as she does (well no one can dread it even close to what she must). I have'nt been able to get gorgeous Denali and her brave mom out of my head these past few days. If anyone who reads my blog has been through this and can offer some words of support I know it would be appreciated.

Apart from that I haven't been up to much. Things at work have improved and the past two days have been great. I think last week was just awful because I seriously needed a day off. Thankfully they're closed tomorrow so I get to be home for Thanksgiving. I'm horribly sad and disappointed that I won't be with my family though. At least I have my furkids and husband. I figure we'll probably spend the day watching movies together.

Everyone has until midnight to vote on the poll. As it stands right now it looks like I'll be teaching Jackal to crawl next. I probably won't teach that to Storm, since she's nine now. I don't think crawling would be very easy for her.

Chrome is getting snottier. I don't know if it's hormones kicking in, the weather getting cooler or just because I haven't done anything with him. He still respects me, but he isn't as cuddly as he normally is. I'm still worried about his gait. I still can't really define what it is that's bothering me, but I'm pretty sure it's his rear legs and it's more obvious going downhill. I still think it could be his club foot, but I'm also wondering if it could be his back. I'm going to get my trimmer's opinion. If he sees something too I'll have a vet look at him.

There's no heat, swelling, bumps, cuts, etc on any of his legs. He still picks them all up just fine. He still gallops, bucks, rears and plays every single day. There's no heat in his hooves. His thrush may be coming back because I stopped doing the salt water, so I guess that could be causing pain in his hooves. And who knows maybe he just has a short stride going downhill naturally. It could very well be laziness. His trot is gorgeous. Very active and forward. When he's walking sometimes he'll drag his toe (my mare used to do that and she is definitely lazy).

Aside from that everyone is doing okay. My husband's back is still out. He's improving but it's sooooo slow! At this rate I doubt it will be before January for him to go back to work.

So I guess that's pretty much all that's going on. I'm just taking it day by day. Maybe I need to take up meditation lol. I hope everyone is having a wonderful holiday!!

A Tag

Brooke at Seagull Beach did this cool like, hate and love tag. She said anyone who reads her answers can do it, so I decided to. :)

I like reading. It's very relaxing and I love "meeting" new characters and going on adventures with them.
I like writing. It can be such a great creative and emotional outlet.
I like music. It has so many uses. It can relax, calm, motivate, inspire, etc.
I like being happy, when I can just forget stress and worry. Just live in the moment and be happy. I wish I could find that place more often.
I like being around people, especially family and friends, but even acquaintances are great (the nice ones anyway!).
I like playing the piano although I wish I were better at it, or at least dedicated and patient enough to get better at it.
I like photography. It is such a rush to be able to catch a beautiful moment on film (or digital hehe).
I hate being sick or feeling bad or tired or stressed.
I hate headaches! AHHHH!
I hate being cold! It makes me numb and lazy and makes me really want to hibernate. This especially applies to cold, winter weather or really any dark, rainy, dreary, gloomy weather. Especially since pressure changes cause the headaches.
I hate having to be careful what I eat. It's such a pain that sometimes I just don't eat which makes me feel just as awful. I feel like I can't win!
I hate the way people act when they find out I was homeschooled. It doesn't make me a freak people!
I hate when people are rude or stupid. Sometimes I wish I could avoid driving altogether.
I hate messing up! I absolutely despise making mistakes (especially at work). I take every mistake as a personal failure. I guess the good side to it is I rarely make the same mistake twice lol.
I hate feeling awkward and out of place, or left out. Especially when I haven't seen a group of friends in a long time and I get ignored because they are used to it just being them. It sucks to move away from your friends. This is also why I don't go to parties where people drink because people consuming alcohol gravitate toward one another and the people who aren't drinking (me) get ignored. Very aggravating!
I love my family, husband, friends, pets, etc. All the special people and animals in my life. Life would not be worth living without them.

And I tag: Anyone who reads my answers and wants to play along. Thanks Brooke!

Random Picture of 2010

A lot of these picture have poor lighting or are blurry because they were taken randomly on the spur of the moment and were not planned or set up. Couldn't think of what to post today so decided to go with randomness. :) Enjoy!

Agile goat kids!

My gorgeous Azalea.

My husband said he was sound asleep before he grabbed the camera.

My mom and dad's Yorkie Mac, absolute loves the four wheeler.

Mac again carrying around a feed pan.

Chrome sniffing my boot while I was on the fence.

A squirrel trying to cool off in the shade.

Making friends.

Looks like he's meditating lol!

A true sign that winter is on the way.

Storm likes to sleep under the chaise lounge.

A bunch of buzzards in a tree in my yard.

Kind of creepy . . .

Local guinea fowl taking a walk down the road.

Hope you enjoyed the randomness. :D