Sorry for the long absence. I am beginning to dig my way out of things. On the plus side (this is a stretch) I don't have to feel like I've been missing the spring or summer while stuck to my work computer or foalcam. It is, apparently, still winter in the Pacific NorthWET. I think there were some days in January that were more pleasant.
But enough about that -- first things first and best things first -- I HAVE A NEW BABY! Foal, that is. Meet Nigel!
He was born at 3:15 a.m. on May 31st, and if it weren't for MareStare and one dedicated foal-watcher, I would have slept through the whole thing. (In retrospect, of course, I started the sleepless crap WAYYYYY too early and it's lucky I didn't sleep through his whole birth WEEK.)
He has been a tough baby to get close to, but things are improving. I want him at least handleable before he goes out to pasture with the other mares and foals for the summer. I finally found a spot on him that he likes to have handled, and it is in keeping with his general contrary nature -- his EARS! I'm just glad I even thought to try his ears.
The Horrendous Project sort of fizzled at the end (it's not quite over, but I haven't been on the hook, someone else has that lovely position now, and I'm waiting for that poor sucker's deliverable before I can wrap things up). But July 1 is the beginning of my client's fiscal year so there are lots of plans and budget dollars which equates to lots of work. I hope it stays at a more even keel -- I don't mind working HARD, I just hate when it goes on forever, with pressure, stress and confusion. Call me crazy.
Sooooo... horsy stuff. I am a failure, LOL. How can I kick-start myself? My goals are lying around me in ruins. I haven't ridden Ginny since the last time I wrote about it here, and it won't do me a bit of good to go back and find the date to see just how long ago that was (oh but I probably will anyway). Cathy is doing great with the Small Spotted Gelding but I can only barely count that as progress against MY goals. My (hmmm, she needs an acronym) SHM or Strong Hot Mare (Imp) hasn't been ridden since... again, don't want to tally. The rest of the herd languishes. I need an intervention! Feel free to use any tools at your disposal to cajole, humor, incent (I hate that word, if indeed it is one), bully, guilt-trip or otherwise bludgeon me. Meanwhile I will rework the goals (read: change the dates... it's like making a list and having the first item be "make list" so you can check it off) and read more of the VLC comments on Having A Plan.
7 comments:
Hooray! I've been wondering if that mare of yours was going to give birth to a weanling...!
What good would it do to guilt-trip you about your lack of progress? Has that ever worked about any of your other broken resolutions?
Me, personally - if I beat myself up about something, say not exercising or not cleaning the house - it doesn't make me more inclined to do it. It makes me sulky!
Therefore, this is my advice. Start over. Don't dwell on how woe is you, you're terrible for not meeting your goals. Just start over. The weather's almost nice. You've made some progress already! What do you want to do next, and to which horse? And what's the first step to doing it?
HTH! :)
Cuuuute baby, btw! I'm not good with paints - is he a tobiano?
I love that rear-end shot! How cute.
Yay! Congrats on the new baby, what a cutie :)
Jami: I was beginning to wonder the same thing!
Funder -- yes he is a tobiano. Both of his parents are tobiano, so there is also a good chance that he is homozygous for tobiano (meaning that all offspring would be tobiano). The little "pawprint" marks he has in addition to the big splotches are often an indication of homozygosity. However I'll be gelding him rather than confirming what he may or may not produce!
All right, I'LL give you a challenge...
Juliane and I are meeting at the Fall City arena after work tomorrow (6 pm) so that she can video me riding Salsa hunt seat and maybe doing some trot x's.
Why don't you haul the Princess down to meet us and I will give you a formal lesson? The arena is a great place to ride - we won't be smothered by dust - and it's time the Princess saw something other than her home.
Bring the SSG, I'll even pop on him in the great outdoors if he seems to have his head on straight. And then we could actually get some decent pictures!
Post a Comment