A good day.

It was warm and muggy today.   I think I'm going to have to get fly sheets for Will and Lily.   The natural fly spray I bought isn't working out so great. 

Jim Crew, the farrier, came again today.   He trimmed more off of Will's inside edges.   One more trim and he should be almost 100 percent straighter.    :)
Jim and I have a golf date next week.  C.C. almost took a treat from him.... that's really good for her.

I picked up lots of poo from the playground today and did some mowing, it's looking better and better out there and I'm getting more and more room to play.  

 Then I played with both of my horses.    I apologized to Lily for being so direct line yesterday.   It took about 20 minutes but we didn't start our session until I had her trusting me.    It paid off and I got her hind end only on the pedestal.   :)   I was able to ask for her front end to move around the pedestal too.   Then I put her front end on the pedestal and she moved her hind end around.  

Will was full of vim and vigor today.   It was totally his fault that he had to sweat so much.   :)    Every time he wanted to do airs above the ground from a tiny ask from me, I encouraged it just a little more than he wanted me too.   Pretty soon he figured out that if he'll just follow my suggestions he would move and work far less.  
Got some nice transitions and stops in the circling game today. 

Then I went into Ocala and did some shopping.  Bras, shoes, (two pair), items for the kitchen so I can do some baking, (not for me), groceries and most important....... a new cell phone.

I'd had it with my old one.  It just wouldn't work properly.   It was ancient so I had to just bite the bullet. 

Waving to all you followers...    I'm off to bed.  

Pain

Yes, pain.   And I don't usually have pain but it disabled me for a couple of days. 

I don't know what it was.  I actually still have a little of it, but not bad at all. 

My lower abdomen felt like someone was taking my uterus or ovaries and squishing them in their fist.   As I sat on the riding lawn mower trying to pick up poo, every tiny bump in the ground felt like someone was punching me.  

So needless to say I didn't get much done Saturday and Sunday.  On Sunday night my landlady reminded me about the red light and I used it that evening.   It was better yesterday.    She and I actually went out to the Make-a-Wish Foundation's fundraiser.   We watched Pat Parelli and Karen O'Connor compete for the top prize.   They didn't win, (Aron Vale and another cowboy did.), but it was sure alot of fun to watch.   The cowboys had to ride a hunter and jump a course, and the english riders had to ride a cow horse and do a reining pattern and wrangle a cow.    :)     I hope the foundation made a lot of money. 

The Parelli table was right in front of us and Linda's dogs barked like crazy when the cow got close.  It was too funny.  Pat's parents were there and a good time was had by all. 

My week with my family was wonderful.   Some of the highlights....

*Free golf at the head pros club. (That guy I met next door.)

*Dinner at a place called "Cody's Roadhouse" that was just too much fun.  (Had some lovely Margarita's.)

*Zip-lining the canyon.  This was awesome!   We did nine zip lines across trees, canyons and water.  Took three hours and it was incredible fun!

*Golf at the Country Club of Ocala.  Beautiful, (and difficult) course!   Loved it!

*Dinner at Cuvee.  A VERY nice restaurant.  Unique and I'll definitely be going back there.  Worth every penny. 

We spent some fun time at home too.  We played five games of Pinochle..... I won four of them.   :)
Hey, they're the ones that wanted me to learn the game!  Hehe.

It was very difficult bringing the dog with them as they reiterated to me more than once.  The dog needed to be walked and they didn't bring warm clothes with them, so when they stopped at a pet friendly place in South Carolina they nearly froze to death outside.  It was terribly windy and freezing.  

So C.C. is staying with me until my husband comes back in a couple of weeks.   She missed him for the first two days but she's in a routine now and having fun with me. 

We almost got attacked by another dog today on our walkabout.    The dog came out of nowhere snarling, and instinctively I jerked C.C. to the other side of me and yelled at the dog.  (Pit bull looking thing.)   The dog stopped about 6 feet from us and stood there growling. 
I stood like a tree, growled back and stared hard at him.   After a few seconds I guess the dog decided it wasn't worth it and backed down. 
C.C. and I went our merry way and the dog didn't try again.
Whew...disaster averted.   We were lucky.
Our walks will go a different direction from now on.

I can't believe I didn't gain weight while my family was here.  I actually lost two.   I've lost a total of 15 pounds.   I really do need to start back up on my exercise routine now that my abdomen pain is gone.  (Still don't have a clue what it was.)

I'll start tonight by going to yoga with my landlady.  She asked if I wanted to go along with her tonight to the Parelli ranch because Teresa is going to give lessons.  
Yoga will do me good I'm sure.

I'll be checking in more often now, I promise.   

My apologies!

I know, I  know!   It's been a long time since I've posted....but with good reason, I've been a very busy girl.   :)

My husband and son left a couple of hours ago to head back home.   I miss them already.  

Guess who's living with me for awhile?....  the dog.   Yes, C.C. is staying in sunny Florida with me. 

I promise I'll tell you all about what happened this week, but not in this post.  

I'm tired and I have some resting to do, and also a lot of cleaning and laundry. 

I'll post everything that happened this past week tomorrow.

Visitors.

Hello followers.

I'm enjoying having my son and husband here.  

I got up early on Sunday morning so I could get all the chores done before I went to my landlady's church to see her perform.   She and others do handbells and it was so very nice. 

What beautiful music to hear on a Sunday morning.   I hadn't been in  a church in many years so I was wondering what the sermon would be like. 

Don't tell my landlady but I think her pastor is a little unusual.  :)

He was telling the story of how Leopard got his spots.  He said that Ethiopian gave them to him..... and that's why black people's finger tips are white.   !!!!!!!!!!  What?!!!!!!!!
I was very close to laughing out loud when I heard the only black woman in the choir giggling in disbelief!   He was completely serious which only made it funnier.   Wow. 

I left after the sermon because I was afraid my family would be early.

They actually didn't arrive until around 2:30. 

After hugs, they told me how difficult it was traveling with our dog, C.C.    They said she slept "all" day in the car, then stayed up running around and barking all night in the hotel room.

My husband and son were relating to me how they were stupid when they made the decision not to bring coats with them.  They figured they were heading to a warm spot so only had light sweathers.

When they arrived at the hotel for the night in South Carolina they had to walk the dog and my son put every piece of clothing on that the both of them had and proceeded to freeze to death.   The wind was howling and that cold front moved down into Florida.  Last night it got down to 22 degrees.  My landlady said she hasn't seen that in many, many years.   Figures. 

I made spaghetti and meatballs with kale and spinach for dinner, then we played Pinochle.  I won.    :)

Already warming up today and everyone feels so much better.  The cold wind I endured during chores yesterday has given me a cold sore.   If I'm out in the winter weather I get many cold sores during the season.  I thought I'd be immune to them here.   Again, figures. 

I made the guys work today.  We picked poo, then loaded up all the debris I'd been gathering since I've been here and headed for the big dump.  Boy, that place is a big deal!  A really big operation.  I got charged to dump all that stuff so my landlady will help with that I'm sure. 
But it's done, and the farm looks so much better.

We had lunch late around 2:00 p.m. at Chili's, then headed home.   I drove by to show them Orange Lake.  It's dried up and very low and it's how I made my point that Florida is experiencing a drought.

Sat outside this evening with a glass of wine. Well, my husband and I did.  When we got home, our son went to take a nap.  (He stayed up late last night reading a book after we went to bed so he was tired.)

We're going to have breakfast for dinner tonight so I'll catch up with you all tomorrow.

Another busy day.

Hello all. 

After working out and drinking a shake this morning I got in my pickup and went into town.  I had errands to run.  I bought hay to supplement what I have.  Then I went to the farmers market to get some more of those wonderful tangerines.  The woman didn't have any so I bought some navel oranges from her.   The citrus here is wonderful.

Then it was off to Home Depot.  I had to buy an aerator for the bathroom faucet that was driving me crazy.  Water would splash everywhere..... now it's a nice even flow.   :)

A few other things, then it was off to the healthy market so I could stock up on groceries.  The total was around $200 but I'll be able to eat for over two weeks now.  All organic of course.  Actually, what made the bill so high is the purchase of probiotics and supplements that I was out of.   They can be quite pricey, but I assure you, they're worth it.  I truly believe it's one of the reasons I have no aches or pains at 56 years old.   I'd rather pay now to feel and be healthy than pay doctors later.  

After I got home and put away the groceries, I unloaded all the hay, gave the horses some, and then did my daily poop pick.   I also picked up all that discarded hay that my horses ruined. (Grrr...)
It's makes the paddock look better too.

Last night I used hay nets for the first time and they did make a huge difference.   Will and Lily actually had to eat ALL of the hay to empty the bag.  They couldn't just pick out the stuff they like. 

After the poop picking I chatted with my landlady and her daughter.   My landlady is one of the people involved in making the Pa-Rally thing here in Florida happen.  It takes the place of the old "Rendevous" the Parellis had.  It should be a really fun thing and I know I'll meet so many people. 
My husband and son will leave to go home next Saturday so I'll attend the Pa-Rally on Sunday and probably help to clean up on Monday.

After chatting I did more yard work (I got the front bed totally weeded and mulched), then put Will and Lily into their night-time paddock and called it a day.

It's funny.....not until I was putting the horses in for the evening did I realize that I didn't eat lunch today.  Hmmm..... how in the heck did that happen!??    I'm surprised I didn't get hungry as I've been limiting the amount of food I eat anyway. 
Strange. 

I was really hungry for dinner though...    :)

I also forgot to drink water today.  I'm so bad about that, but I'm trying to get better.   And I heard on TV that you can burn 500 more calories per week if you drink "cold" water.   So that's what I'm gonna do from now on.    :)

Going to bed early.   My bath felt really good and I want to get up early so off to slumber-land for me. 

I'm officially tired.

Well, as of tonight, I'm actually tired.  I did just as much as I usually do but for some reason, I just want to be still and go to bed.   Which I will do right after Gray's Anatomy. 

Will and Lily have been wasting hay.  Stepping and peeing on it instead of eating it.   So tonight, before I put them in their night-time paddock, I rigged up hay nets.   I tied them as high on the fence post as I could so that when they're empty they won't be dragging on the ground. 
I still worry in case they paw, but I'm a worry wart anyway.
We'll see how it goes. 

They're both losing weight, (me too, 12 pounds as of today),
and I'm a little worried that they're going to lose too much.
But when I check their hay supply in the middle of the day, they haven't eaten it all....they're out there trying to nibble of what little bit of grass there is. 
So I figure that they're just being picky.   If they get hungry darnit, they can finish their hay!

I spent the morning emptying out and cleaning my horse trailer...the dressing room part. (There's hay in the horse part.)  It was a chore, took about an hour and a half.   It's all ready in case my six-foot-four son wants a queen bed to sleep in instead of the smaller ones in my little mobile home. 

After that I completely reorganized my tack stall.  I got more stuff that I need in there now and it's tidy.  Well, half of it is...the other half is junk that needs to go to the dump.

After lunch, I cleaned up the soiled hay left by my horses. Ugh.
Then I went to go buy gas for the John Deere.

After that I did yard work until almost dark. 

Whew.   I guess  I know why I feel a little tired.   :)

Only two and a half days and my husband and son will be here.  Still have some floor cleaning and laundry to do in the house.  Hope I can get to it.

I'm enjoying your comments everyone....thank you. 

Off to watch my show, then hit the sack.

TaTa for now.

A successful day.

A typical day... the weather is a little cooler and the high today was only around 72 but it was beautiful. 

I had bills to pay this morning so after my workout and breakfast I got to it and got them posted and put into the mailbox before the mail lady got here.   I always know when she comes because I can hear her car from a mile away...hehe.  It's a really LOUD one!  

Then I filled the cart with poop and emptied it into the bin.  The landlady knew that I needed a gate for my yard so my husbands dog won't get out when they visit.   Last week I took her to buy one so today we took the old gate off and put the new one on.

Trying to put the old gate down at my place wasn't quite so easy.   With the tools I had I worked for about twenty minutes to get the old rusted nut off the screw that held the top bracket.  I didn't get frustrated because I know better but dang that thing was really stuck so I had to give in and take the gate next door where I knew those guys were still working on that trailer home. 
I felt really good because even though that guy had really big man tools...(okay don't let your mind go there!)....he couldn't get it off either!!!

We eventually used his electric grinder and sawed the screw in two.  Then I hammered the bracket off and back on again in the correct spot while the guy drove away to go find a different screw to fit it.  
Problem solved. 

I poked a couple holes in my fingers trying to wire some fencing to the gate so the dog can't get through. 
But I eventually got it all done.   Checked off the list.

I played with Will and Lily of course.   Lily was perfect today and when I tried something new, (lead by the hoof) she got it right away.  On all four legs.  And was happy about it.

Will was down right miffed about it compared to Lily.  I broke it down into the tiniest pieces and just had to just let him figure it out.   It took forever.  At first he tried kicking.  When that didn't work, he kept swinging his hind end around.  When that didn't work, he just held his ground and that didn't work either.  FINALLY, he put weight on that back foot.  I let go and told him he was right.   He licked and chewed and I just let him stand there.  I think he was sulking that he couldn't win the game.  After we stood there for a little while and he put his head down seemingly interested in the grass, I tried again.  He went back to kicking a little bit...then moving again, but not very much.   He moved back and I let the pressure go.   Same thing.....he seemed to be sulking.  We had to do this five times.  After he licked and chewed I tried again.  Finally he went right back and I praised him like crazy and we ended the session.

Who knows what he'll be like tomorrow, but I took him to a big green grassy area and let him graze so he was happy.

After I played with the horses I did yard work down at my little mobile home.   The new mulch I put in today looks so much better than the weeds.   :)

Having the wi-fi working here in the house is awesome isn't it?!!!

Off to watch Modern Family before I turn in.