The Continuing Saga of CherylB's Weight Loss Journey (part 2)

[DebbyL]

Sounds like a real good day! Except for the wet boots. I hope everything worked out fine for the two horses & grain. Another go around tomorrow! Glad you had time to rest up for all of this!

Good night

[CherylB]

Yep, here I go again. I have some serious chronic pain and I'm thinking it is partly due to my weight being so high again and partly that I need to get down on the floor and do that sort of stretching where you point your knees one way and twist your upper body the other way. I have pain way down into my upper "arse." I think I need a Chiropractor. And my hot tub back.

Other than that, my busy weeks are coming to an end, as far as I can see right now. After Wednesday, I don't work again until next Monday. Things will change periodically but I will just do what I can and not go overboard.

Have a nice day, ladies. I'm down a few lbs this week. Still in the 2's but not forever. Not doing anything special, just eating less and not drinking wine.

[verbqueen]

You sound good, Cheryl. Congrats on the loss this week. I think that eating less and not drinking wine is probably just what you need right now!

[CherylB]

Thank you, honey. Too tired to say more. Will tell all tomorrow. Bedtime for this Bonzo! Sweet dreams, all.

[MagieDen]

I am so glad the scale god is being kind to you.

[CherylB]

Thanks. I woke up early today, before my alarm to take my morning pills. I tried to get back to sleep but it wasn't going to work. So I got up and made coffee, fed the dog and put her out in the rain (with her coat on) and towel dried her when she came back in. Her head is still very wet but it will just have to dry the rest of the way on its own. She's got that kind of fur.

The farm yesterday was such an unenjoyable afternoon. I'm going to think long and hard before I agree to do another Tuesday for that girl in the future. The two volunteers are a bit much to handle. I had to watch them like a hawk cause every time I turned around, they were doing something else wrong. I couldn't wait to get the heck out of there and put it behind me.

The rain should be over by the time I go to work today and then it will just be dealing with either wet horses or lots of stall clean-up from having them inside most of the day. That's probably what's going to happen. Fine by me cause it gives me an excuse to be inside too. I will have 4 days off after this. It will feel like a vacation and boy do I need one. I will not just say "sure" every time someone needs me to fill in. I will take a look at the situation and then decide.

It will be wonderful to get paid on Friday. I am down to my last $5 bill. I hate being that broke and watching the bank account and hoping there is enough money in there to cover anything I may have forgotten to account for. I think it will be fine. I hope it will be.

Birdies were doing a lot of tweeting when I was trying to sleep so that makes me wonder if it wasn't raining at the time. It's raining steady now and no more tweeting. I know how they feel. I wouldn't tweet, either. Give me something to tweet about! A little sunshine would be amazing.

Wow! I just turned on the TV and they have all these notifications of school openings and such being delayed 90 minutes- 2 hours. Must be the road cause it started out as sleet last night.

So, that's what's going on here in picturesque CT. TTYL, ladies.

[CherylB]

This is the story of my farm day yesterday, which I was covering for another girl who needed to be at the airport to send off her sister who was leaving for Korea for an entire year. I couldn't say no to her. I never do Tuesdays so I didn't know either of the volunteers. One girl (14 years old, if that) was already there.

Volunteers aren't allowed in the farm area until a staff member is there. She was out there cleaning paddocks. (Later I asked her how long she'd been volunteering and she said "2 weeks.") She had left the door to the kitchen ajar by about 3 inches. I went in and closed the door, signed in, got the manager's note and then went to work. I will try to make this short. By 4 pm, they were looking for things to do. (The older lady had just arrived but since the teenager had already done all the paddocks, there was little left to do.)

They were standing around looking at me, asking me what there was to do. I said it was too soon to bring in the horses so maybe just hang out with the horses and pet them. They went and brushed the goats and then went into the Minis pen to try and brush them. Anyone who knows anything knows they can't be brushed. They are not tame and will run when anyone goes to grab them. I told them it was not going to work and that whenever we have to brush them or walk them, it takes three people to corner them and put their halters on. The older one said, "I know! We walked them the other day." Okay. So if you know, what are you doing in the pen holding a brush in your hand? No, I didn't say that.

So they're still looking at me wanting me to tell them what to do next. I thought about it and said that the horses in the duplexes were going to be wearing their turn-out sheets for the night but since it was too soon to bring them in, that we could go into the paddocks with a soft brush and their sheets and put them on there. They said they knew how to put the sheets on but they always walk them down to the barn and put them in the cross ties to put them on. Ridiculous. I told them the horses were acting up because they were in great need of exercise and that we wouldn't be walking them to the barn if we didn't need to.

They just couldn't understand why we couldn't walk the horses down to the barn to apply their sheets. I told them how unpredictable and easily-startled the horses have been but the older woman just kept challenging me. Finally I said, "Were you here yesterday?" and just looked her dead in the eye. "No. I guess your right. Every day is different." OMG. I told them how I got "nicked" by Calvin's hoof the other day, and how Daphne pitched a fit the day before over just seeing a ladder up against the barn and bales of hay being tossed out of the loft, and how Charmed was kicking up a storm in the field when we took him for a walk. I just wanted them to know that I wasn't making this stuff up and trying to spoil their barn day.

By this time, they're looking at each other side ways with this wry, disbelieving grin on their faces. So anyway, to try and give them something to do, since they said they knew how to put their sheets on, I grabbed a soft brush, Charmed's sheet and went to take the ladies out into the paddock. The teenager doesn't follow me. I asked if she was coming and she said, "I've done that before." The older lady comes with me but once we're in the paddock and I bring Charmed over, I go to give her a brush so she could do one side of him while I did the other. "Oh, I never do anything with Charmed." (Charmed nips in a threatening way.)

Now I'm getting pissed. I said, "I'm only doing this because you were looking at me, wanting to be given something to do. Now I'm in here doing this myself." I finished applying his sheet and then that was that. I wasn't getting anything accomplished and I had hay to distribute. I told them to go take a break or something, since there wasn't anything to do at the moment. They went inside and had a cup of hot chocolate. I'm sure they were thinking I was a total witch.

So I passed out the hay and went into the house to tell them we can start bringing the horses in. It was 5 pm. They said "okay" and came out with me. I said that the manager had given me very specific instructions as to which order each horse was to be brought in. She had never done that before so it was odd. First to be turned-in was Calvin and Lola. I got their halters and went into the arena and the teen girl followed. I put on the halters and the teen wanted to walk Calvin. I said, "Okay. I unhooked the gate to Calvin's run-in so all you have to do is push on the gate and it will open.

She goes out the arena gate first and I follow behind with Lola. She proceeds to walk past Calvin's gate. I told her that was Calvin's gate and she backed up and took him in. She goes all the way into his stall and doesn't come back out. Then she reappears with the halter in her hand and I tell her that we take the halter off in the run-in and then let them go. I put Lola in her area.

Next to come in was Frodo, Charmed and Cowboy, in that order. I go to get Frodo and the teen grabs the halter for Cowboy. I said, "Charmed needs to come in before Cowboy." The older lady who said she never does anything with Charmed is now in his run-in, opening the gate for him to just walk inside (they were in the paddock that backs up to their run-ins so all we had to do was let them walk in themselves.) So then the teen comes in and stands there. I said, "Come on in and get Cowboy." She does and then I get the gate so she can walk through. I hook up the two ribbons of the gate and look up just in time to see that she hadn't opened the metal gate far enough and as she was bringing Cowboy through, the gate was swinging back and closing on him. He narrowly missed getting stuck and who knows how he would have reacted. OMG.

So she takes Cowboy down and puts him in his stall. Next is Red and Daphne. So the older lady and I take those two in. I gave her her choice and she went with Daphne. I let her walk out of the paddock first and Red and I walked behind. We get to the barn and the lady leads Daphne toward the wrong side of the barn. I said, "Wait a minute. Where are you going?" She says that I was right behind her and she was afraid we were going to end up at the door to the barn at the same time. I said, "I saw you there and I wasn't going to jam my way past you to put Red in his stall." I mean, how freaking stupid can you be?

So then I tell them I'm going to dump the paddock water buckets and top off the waters in the duplexes and run-ins. I said they could top off the waters in the barn and in the minis pen. Then I said when I was done with the waters up there, I would work on getting the grain ready. Well, long before I was done with the waters, the teen was standing in the grain room, just waiting for me. She must have stood there with her hands in her pocket for over 5 minutes.

I get in the grain room and start pulling out the buckets and give her the grains for Red and Daphne and tell her she can grain the goats, too. I had to go in the house to get a liquid supplement for Cowboy so I took that down myself. I come back out to the barn to give Cowboy his grain and the teen girl had just opened the gate to the goats stall and set the grain buckets in the doorway. I had never seen anyone do that before. It was like she was afraid to actually go inside. All I could do was laugh to myself and carry on.

After they left and I went around to double-check everything they had done to be sure things were okay, I found that they didn't leave the door to the hay room ajar so the cats could get out and they totally screwed up the chain to the Minis pen. They also put the hay cart on the wrong side of the barn.

I was never so glad to see a barn shift end in all the time I've been there. I won't be doing any more Tuesdays anytime soon. Like the manager says, having volunteers is like baby sitting. Well, that sucks all the enjoyment out of it.

Today is my regular day so I at least have some inkling of an idea about who's there and what they can handle. Thank God for that. And after today I'm off for four days. I will say no if asked to pick up any more shifts this week. N.O.

Have a good day. I will try to do the same.

[DebbyL]

Hi Cheryl,
Sure hope you had better volunteers today! Hard to baby-sit & get anything done.

Two more days to $$$ Hope your car has enough gas in it! $5 won't get you too far!

Looking forward to hearing how it went today.

[CherylB]

I'm looking forward to payday, too! How's Shelby doing today? I hope she's feeling like herself again.

My day. Well, I had a great volunteer. She's GREAT. I oriented her myself and she's just wonderful. I wish they were all like her. She remembers everything I tell her and she's very conscientious, like I am. And she slugged it out in the horrible weather with me today with no complaining.

It was lightly raining when I got there but the forecast had indicated that the rain was going to end by the time I got to the farm. NOT! It not only didn't end, it started to ramp-up. The horses were all shut up tight in their stalls all day and never were turned-out to their paddocks. When I got there at 3:30, they were all nice and dry and secure. Well, that didn't last long.

Program director was there and she decided the horses should all be put outside with their turn-out coats on. So, we set about putting their sheets on them. I got bit on my upper left arm and that same horse tried to "cow kick" me when we brought her back inside (after they were out for an hour and we gave up and brought them back inside.)

It's not that the horse is acting up from being stuck in her stall all day and all night, I'm not "checking in with the horse." I said it was probably due to her being in the stall for 36 hours and the manager said "But she was perfect in the morning." I said, "Well how many more hours later was 3:30pm?" It's always the human's fault. I $#^&@ HATE that.

I came home, stopped off on the way to buy a couple single beers and took a trip through a Burger King drive-through. Ate my food on the way home in the constant drizzle. It finally ended sometime after I got home and was no longer outdoors. OMG! Horrible....

So now the manager wants to know if I'm available on Saturday because there's another orientation. I just went to one with the same topic two Saturdays ago, and they assigned me to be there and assist (last time, not this time). I am not going to this one. I have four days off and I'm taking them. I can practice learning all the crap I thought I knew next week. Clearly there is still much for me to learn. What's the hurry?

I want to take some time in the next couple of days to soak in the tub with some lovely scented soaps, maybe a candle and soft music playing, dim lighting, ringer off on my phone, etc. I also need to make time for things of importance to the other arenas of my life. It's not all about horses. I have other fish to fry.

I don't do well with being critiqued like this. It drove me nuts as a nurse and now I'm getting it again with the horses. I guess it's just LIFE. Come Lord Jesus! Get us out of here, please!!!

So, that was my day, in a nutshell. The Burger King food was really good, and so were the beers. I didn't realize that BK's french fries were so much better than McD's. They are so different! Thicker and yummier, and perfectly crispy on the outside. It's a very good thing there's no BK near me. McD is just down the street but I never have liked their food as much as BK's. I'm a "flame-broiled girl" all the way.

In other "wonderful news", a grandmother in CT picked up her two grandsons from daycare today and murdered them, then turned the gun on herself. It was the 2 year old's birthday. Like I said, please Come Lord Jesus.

Night, people. I'm going to feel a bit better tomorrow. I hope.

[DebbyL]

Ah, don't beat yourself up about it. I don't care much for criticism either, even constructive criticism. But it is something that everybody gets, I think it hurts our pride & none of us like that... it takes a super good communicator to do it in a way that builds the person up & makes them want to stretch to be better. So, as I have to tell myself, take the good, forget the annoying & realize its just part of life. You're doing good at the farm!

Sorry that horse bit you! How bad is it? Is it a huge sore bump? That's what I got last time I went riding... back in 1990... still have a bump there.

I really liked Burger King also, whenever we traveled. Especially when they had the $1 menu & had that wonderful Chili!

Have a good rest!

[shelby'snana]

Make sure you enjoy your days off and pamper yourself ! Sounds wonderful

Sorry that horse bit you .......wowsers, I bet that hurt .

[lola001]

hi Cheryl- those volunteers sound awful. I can't imagine why you would want to volunteer at a place and you are afraid of the animal!
Yay for payday! and enjoy the next four days off.

[julieboolie]

Originally Posted by CherylB

Keith Urban used to be my heart throb, but then Nicole came along and snagged him. I'm still not over that. I agree about the judges. The way the really fake lady and Mariah roll their eyes at each other, it has to be pre-planned to add drama. I really miss Simon. Brutal honesty with a good ear! That's what we need. And it does seem more like a freak show this season. I think they were afraid to axe some people too early in the process IYKWIM.

I missed the girls night on Wednesday. I forgot it was on and watched another show I like on HGTV. Big mistake, apparently. They said the girls really were great. Oh, well. The greatest ones will be there to hear next week and I won't forget next time.

Snow in AZ? That must have been so strange! Did it last all of 4 hours? I remember you saying you wish you had a fireplace. When we rented our house in Las Vegas, we had a wood-burning fireplace. It was lovely in the winter. I used to smoke back then and I remember one time when it was really cold outside, my husband said I could sit by the fire and smoke (so it would go up the chimney.) Shortly after that, I started smoking in the house. Before that, it was always in the back yard or the garage. He was from So Cal so I guess that's something they are big on.

Went way off on a tangent with that topic, didn't I! Memories. I have no shortage of those. I don't think that I am, but I'm still making good memories!

I'm watching the Price is Right and the second showcase has a Mercedes! The chick who took the first showcase instead of passing it (because she wanted the Toyota Prius) is drooling right now.

Got the farm today. Should be a lot milder but I still see evidence of some breeze outside. So I will BBL. Have an awesome day, everyone. Hugs!

I miss Simon too. These guys don't know what they're doing (except Keith, and sometimes Randy). Glad you didn't get hurt at the farm, and listening to your intuition will serve you well!!

Originally Posted by DebbyL

Hope the farm goes well Cheryl!

Hi Julie,
No, you have to get a Dr's RX or naturopath here. I was assuming that you got it online, without a rx.
Totally agree, American Idol is certainly not as good as it originally was. I enjoy the preshow interviews & then stop watching.

Here too. I am still struggling w. my temps and overall metabolism (stupid thyroid and hormones!!). I've given up on a good Dr who could ever help me and am trying to live w. it. Thankfully the brain fog and fatigue are somewhat reduced. I'm sure exercise is helping too.

Hope you're all doing well!

[CherylB]

Originally Posted by DebbyL

Ah, don't beat yourself up about it. I don't care much for criticism either, even constructive criticism. But it is something that everybody gets, I think it hurts our pride & none of us like that... it takes a super good communicator to do it in a way that builds the person up & makes them want to stretch to be better. So, as I have to tell myself, take the good, forget the annoying & realize its just part of life. You're doing good at the farm!

Sorry that horse bit you! How bad is it? Is it a huge sore bump? That's what I got last time I went riding... back in 1990... still have a bump there.

I really liked Burger King also, whenever we traveled. Especially when they had the $1 menu & had that wonderful Chili!

Have a good rest!

It hurts my pride, big time! Cause I try so hard to be the best person I can at whatever it is I'm doing. And when they say I need to "check in with the horse" after something goes wrong, how do they know that I didn't? I hate "stock answers." That's what bothers me the most. Did you see what happened? Then please don't just toss a correction my way.

I just looked at the bite mark. It's not even sore but there is about a 1" pink line in the center of a round bruise that is about the size of a quarter. The line is where her teeth pinch my skin (apparently, that line is what was directly between her teeth.) That HURT! I don't think it will leave a bump or anything. It was really just a nip but it sure felt like a bite! Worst I ever got from any of them. "Gentle therapy horses." I want to laugh whenever I've been told that horses at other stables aren't so "bomb-proof." Please. A horse is a horse (of course of course.)

I will definitely enjoy my days off and I will not be dragged back to the farm before my next scheduled day to work, which is Monday. I will keep this vow to myself because I need time off right now more than I need additional training.

[CherylB]

Great choice for your new Avi, by the way!

[CherylB]

Thanks, Laura and Lola. The issue with some volunteers not wanting to work with Charmed is because he does a nipping thing. He creates fear in many of them and to be honest, I used to be afraid of him too. But nobody gets to steer clear of him out of fear. We have to have them work with him and learn how to "check in" with him (can't believe I just said that. I'm no better than they are. I'm one of them!!)

[CherylB]

Slept well, sun is halfway out and I can see blue sky in places! I haven't seen the sun or the blue sky in over a week. Amazing what a little blue and sunshine can do for the soul. It will be sunny for the vast majority of the days to come this week and it will do much for both man and beast.

Have a great day, everyone. Off to get something constructive done on day off #1.

[DebbyL]

(of course of course.)
Yep!

[tay65]

Enjoy your days off! You deserve them! Sorry about the nip too.....OUCH!

[CherylB]

Woohooo! I love days off! They are the key to my sanity. It's sunny and in the 40's today and we will be hanging around this type of pattern most of this week. Life is good!

I also just took care of a few things today via phone. Also got paid () today and paid a couple bills. Have an appointment on Monday early afternoon with the lady in my town who helps people like me pay their energy bills and also got a 30-day hold on the natural gas cut-off warning. By Monday, I may not owe the electric company or the gas company much money at all, which will free up about $200 for me this month, that would have been given over to them.

My body is thanking me for this rest period. I can't believe how much pain I've been in from just doing my little job on an almost every-day basis. Just imagine how your @$$ (literally, that part of your anatomy) would feel by going cross-country with a full wheelbarrow multiple times in a 2 hour period. Then do the same with a hay cart. Then carry buckets of water from the water spigot to the horse stalls; some of them quite far from the water spout. OMG! Who needs a gym?!

My @$$ is just starting to relax and stop hurting. I can only imagine what my lean body will look like when the yellow nasty fat cells shrink down into shrivelled little empty pockets of unhappiness. Down in there, there is a super-woman waiting to come out.

I had such a hard time falling asleep last night. I read, I played a word search thing on my android phone, I put on movies I'd seen a hundred times (having one play in the background with the audio barely audible is often all I need to get to sleep.) I ended up resorting to this website where you can choose multiple nature sounds that play together and then you set the volume to where you'd like it and then the rest is history. That put me to sleep, finally. I chose flute music, rain and thunder. Quite a lovely combo. I'll post the link to the website for you:

relaxing music, sleep aids, and relaxation tools

It feels good to have money again. Somehow my bank account didn't get as low as I thought it would. I don't know how I miscalculated it because I scoured the bank website and went through all the pending transactions and I should have only had about $5. I'm not complaining cause I still had over $40 when payday arrived today. Just as long as I don't get any overdraft fees, I can deal with all the rest.

So I will go get dressed and ready to head down to the place that I've been dreading, to make an appointment for Energy Assistance, before they run out of funds and can no longer offer me any help. (That's what the lady at the human services office just warned me about when she called me just now.) Like she said, it's a lovely day for a drive.

Later, people. Love and hugs to all.

[CherylB]

Well, I got a lot done today but could not avoid going to the farm for a while in the early afternoon tomorrow. They want to "work with me" to make sure I'm doing things the right way. I know I'm still new at this but I can't help but get my feathers ruffled when I'm under questioning. My survival instincts kick in and I want to defend my honor. What am I so bound and determined to prove? Lord, please give me humility. I know I'll be the better person for it, if I lay this part of my personality down at Your feet and walk away.

My niece Jacinta is in Croatia tonight! She has a friend and she decided to fly over there with her (I think that's how the story goes) for a few days and then fly back to the States without her. I looked up Croatia on Google and it's not anywhere I thought it was and it certainly looks beautiful! Lucky girl. Actually, luck has nothing to do with it.

Bought my relatively-new Betta fish some freeze-dried blood worms while out shopping today. He sure likes them! I think he eventually sucked down about 10 or 12 of them. I just lightly tapped some into the bowl. It said to do that on the bottle. He's one happy boy! I also bought him a little cave thing but it might be a bit too big for his bowl. I tried to find something smaller but after two different stores, I just bought the one at the second place. It might work but I'll wait until I clean his bowl. That will be in another day or two.

Just got a call from my Mom. Pizza party plans for my sister Teresa's birthday on Sunday is now changed to a better restaurant. The other one is closed for renovations. () Will be picking up my Mom and meeting them all there for 5pm. Her birthday is actually tomorrow. She's 4 years older than I am; the closest in age to me. She loves cats so I got this really cute cat card. It will make her laugh. Wish I could put more money into it than I am, but we're all in the same boat.

I think I've gotten a renewed problem with Burger King food. I used to LOVE eating at Burger King many years ago. I remember working nights at a factory and I'd stop and buy their breakfast foods in the morning and sit in the parking lot in my car and snarf it down. Ever since I got a Whopper and Large Fry a week ago, I'm "re-hooked." I think I will harness the love for their food and just make it a once a week celebration for being really in control of my diet all week long.

Time to rest and relax now. I hope all of you are having a lovely day/night and that you have a wonderful weekend ahead of you.

[verbqueen]

Haha about the Burger King, Cheryl. I swear, I think they put some kind of addictive drug in fast food. I can not think about it for months, but one meal seems to trigger an avalanche of them for me!

Speaking of avalanches of food, Dave is home this weekend and that always seems to make me overeat. I SWEAR, IT WILL NOT HAPPEN THIS TIME!!!

[CherylB]

I believe you can soar with the eagles, Jessica. Even over this huge bump in the road!

[DebbyL]

Actually, they do put something addictive in the food... Dr Oz was on that this week. The food industry focuses on making all their food addictive by adding sugar, salt & fat to their foods. Testing to make sure people "crave" more. They even put sugar on fries in some fast food places (they didn't name names).
So eating "processed" foods is going to undermine your efforts for resisting them in the future because its built-in to make it addicting.
Guess that's why I'm not even tempted by it anymore.

So glad you're getting to go out with your family. That's awesome!

[CherylB]

That's exactly what this book is all about, and it's written by a former FDA Commissioner. There's going to be a LOT of dirt in there to read. I know what you mean, Debby. I remember a few years back, I wasn't doing Atkins but I just stopped eating any fast food, pizza, any starches and sugar and I lost weight so easily. And I felt no hold by those foods that called my name before. I felt totally free. That's probably the way I should eat for the rest of my life. Just eat at home. Things I've cooked but with no starch or sugar. I didn't worry about things like peas or how many carbs were in the veggies I ate, and it just came out really well for me.

I went to the last half of the orientation at the farm today. I was urged to be there so we can go over some problem areas (aka the nip and the cow-kick from the one horse last Wednesday, during that horrible sleet/rain event that lasted all night and all day.) I didn't want to go and I felt really defensive but I prayed on my way there and it went so well that I can scarcely understand it.

I always learn something new and valuable when I go there for instruction. This time I was given practice time and one-on-one instruction on joining up with the horse. Matching my energy to their energy so that when I step forward, the horse steps forward. And when I prepare to stop and then stop, the horse does the same. It was remarkable!

When it clicked it REALLY clicked! I said, "Woe!" but not to the horse. I was amazed at how it felt when it really worked. Astonishing, really. And it gave me something to aim for every time I'm there at work. I am guilty of feeling too cozy when I'm there, like I'm hanging out with my friends. But the horses rely on us to be their leaders and protectors. And they take our body language and the energy we project and whether we are looking them in their eyes while we're in their "energy bubble" and they respond directly to our cues. Whether we know that we're giving them cues or not.

When they said, "Check in with the horse", they meant to go slowly toward the horse when I'm in their energy bubble and approach at an angle, not with shoulders squared toward their body. And when approaching them in this way, not looking them in the eye. They take that as threatening. Then you let them sniff the back of your hand and you can touch them and work with them after that point.

I always did some of those things but there is so much to remember and to put into practice! No wonder we need these orientations and classes so frequently. It's so easy to forget what you've been taught and then to adopt a pattern of behavior that is difficult to unlearn.

I prayed for humility on the way to the farm and I got what I asked for. Our God is an awesome God.

PS: And what a wonderful thing to have a weekend that wasn't raining or snowing or blowing gale-force winds! First weekend in over a month that was just normal.

[kgirlpure]

CherylB~ was reading your post about the horses at the farm. I have a farm and have 16 horses. I can tell you from years of experience keeping a horse stalled for long periods and then expecting them to be perfect is just wrong. They are never perfect anyway, but I am sure you know that. sounds like your barn manager should be you. sounds like the criticism is more to appease occupational litigation, more then your correction. I too have been bit, and was fully aware of what I was doing...but the horse is faster sometimes. as far as being cow kick...just the other day during feeding my 3 year old gelding kicked at me. I stopped feeding and kept moving him away from his bowl of grain until I could stand next to him with out any movement but him eating. he never did that ever, her was born on the farm and now he starts. I guess he is feeling his oats...hehehe. good luck with work.

[CherylB]

How nice of you to chime in! Thank you for sharing your experience with me. It makes me feel a bit vindicated and it puts a smile on my face.

If you are one who loves horses (which clearly you are,) please come join us on the "horse lover's thread." Here's the link. We welcome any and all horse lovers, and love all stories and pictures and such that you care to share. Come on over!

http://www.lowcarbfriends.com/bbs/be...ed-one-29.html

This link will take you to the current page, but there are lots of pages to read and catch up on when you have time. Thank you again for sharing your experiences with me. I really appreciate it so much.

[shelby'snana]

Cheryl , that sounded so interesting, what all you learned. I never knew why some people "have a way" with certain animals - I do with dogs - and others don't . Guess it makes sense !

Hope you are doing well ! Weather any warmer yet ? It's supposed to be high 70's today - 73 now - and it's SUPER windy !!

[CherylB]

Yeah, it's very involved. I never realized how deep it got (horsemanship) and that's not even talking about learning to ride! This is just caring for them on the ground. Yeesh! I have so much to learn.

It's super windy here today, too. Cold as well. Spring is nowhere in sight. :/ I'm glad you are in the 70's in TX. You need to cherish those mild days as long as you can, down there. I remember how oppressive it gets.

I had a good day at the farm but I'm glad to be back indoors. Now it's a late supper and a relaxing drink. Watching the Biggest Loser and chilling out. Have a great night, everyone.

[CherylB]

Thanks, honey. Maybe that's because I'm not on a diet or not trying to live without anything, even though I might be better off without "that stuff." I'm not getting any closer to my weight goal but I'm "me"! Living my life and making my way. The rest will sort itself out eventually.