*** 13 - Madira in "7th heaven" when allowed to ride her pony for a little bit at a walk. Her next appointment is on March 27th. *** Rhythem is bred to Iggy - evening. *** Sat 15 - Morning - Rhythem is bred to Iggy - am. *** I work Pretty Girl while also working with Michael riding Star. He graduates from the round pen to basically doing "Simon Says" & "Follow the Leader" in the bigger paddock. Afternoon - Sierra is already ready for the Military Ball when I come in to shower & get ready myself. Eve - Donna & Nancy pick Sierra and I up for the Military Ball at the Officer's Club on Ft. Bragg. As we leave, the storm hits, but we manage to arrive w/o mishap. The ceremony held up as several people & the bus are late due to storm & accidents. Dinner was great (they know how to prepare steak) but much else - couldn't say. Our ride is ready to depart by 11, so Sierra asks to stay & ride bus back and Larry picks her up at school at 1:30 am. *** Sun 16 - CFTR has their trail ride at 10:30 am at Moss Foundation in Southern Pines, but we have headaches & trouble w/ trailers. So we decide to go later, after wet from rain gets dried a bit. Karen w/ Tally picked Sierra & I up w/ Jazzy & Pretty Girl. Gail & Nicole bring Lover Boy and Masquerade and we have a great time riding the perimeter. *** 17 - Rhythem is out of heat. *** 17 & 18 - Work w/ Michael & Star in roundpen & pasture. Pretty Girl coughing & running a bit of temp - 101 on Tuesday evening. *** 19 - Pretty Girl seems to be over whatever had been bothering her. *** 22 - the start of spring break. Sierra works one day in JROTC motor pool & one day working personally for the Andersons. I spend time braiding some more orange hay string & then use it to "build" temporary fence to allow ponies to graze on grass not in pastures. *** We put in several posts & brace posts, but need to finish putting in bracers before can string wire. *** 27 - Madira gets her brace officially off. YEA!! *** 28 - we work with Karen's family - removing the roof off of her barn. ***
2008 February - Started w/ 'Dira bringing home both Strep and Flu. Working it's way thru all of us - I can't shake it (OF Course!!). *** 14 - Is a memorable Valentine's Day w/ Skye down w/ the bug (& 2 hours at Dr office), "Monster" gets booster shot w/o Lepto. *** 16 Sat - Sierra at WHJROTC Drill Meet w/ Overhills High School. Our Team does GREAT! *** New source of hay, 2 round bales from Ausley (Christian Light rd, Lillington). Ponies happy. *** Justin & Skye break up. *** 24 Sun - Gail & Paula go pick up "Star" in Greenville. *** 26 Tues - "Pretty Girl" is confirmed in foal by Dr Krivit, DVM. She will foal in October. *** Diana Dunham-Scott (formerly English - Chaunter's breeder) called from CA! We had a great conversation about "Chaunter", her dam - Khemo Sonata (ASHA pony carded @ 14.2 hh) and possiblities. *** 28 Thur & 29 Fri - Madira is in the production of "The Hunchback of Notre Dam". OK, Mom isn't a big play/drama buff & it seemed slow - but otherwise good. Madira looked awesome in a bodice she designed and sewed herself from a Western Horsemanship vest pattern. She had a blast at the Cast Party after the play & arrived back home flushed and happy at 12:30 pm. ***
2008 January - The New Year started with a bang - Justin helped bring in the start with us. *** We started on the 1st (Tuesday) with trail riding at Twin Oaks with Gail Miller and her son, Shem. Sierra rode "Jazzy", Madira rode "Pretty Girl" & Paula rode "Chaunter" & ponied "Justan" - Karen's arab gelding. Near the end of the ride, Madira switched and rode "Justan" for a bit on the trails - w,t & c (with a little "woo-hoo" buck) and then moved into the arena for about 30 minutes. ***2 - Return to work and school after a great Holiday Break! *** 5 Saturday - We take a turn at Gail's property - helping to clean up loads of pinestraw & cutting down small trees - when Madira is injured. EMS arrives to find her and says that w/ vital signs good she can get up and walk to ambulance herself, but she says "...my back hurts.." and I say no, she needs to be carried out and checked. A ride to Central Carolina Hospital and a check by the ER doctor and again... not bad, we'll wait for x-rays, but vitals good and don't believe there are any problems... That changes when the exrays back - I'm told that there is a burst fracture to the L3 and that Central Carolina isn't prepared for dealing w/ this type of injury and UNC Chapel Hill - orthopedics is expecting us. This time, her clothes are cut off and she's put back on a back board (w/ much more care - isn't that amazing??) & an IV put into her arm (no fluids, tho). She's loaded into ambulance again while Shem and I wait for Skye and Larry to arrive so we can take one vehicle up. Then the hours start as we wait for more "pictures" and also for an MRI to be done. The injury occured around 11 am, we arrived at UNC Chapel Hill around 4 pm. The MRI isn't done until around 8 pm. She's admitted (I didn't understand why, nor did she - the actual severity of the problem)! It's almost 10 pm before we see a doctor who gives us some idea of what's going on - but that we are looking at not being able to get a back brace until Tuesday and surgery to "fix" the problem much later... He lets us know that it's not L3 but L1 that has the problem. Larry stays and I return Shem home & check on Sierra at Gail's house. DOES anyone hear Madira screech when she's told she won't be attending the audition for the lead (Esmeralda) in "The Hunchback of Notre Dam"?? *** 6 Sunday- Before I can get all the chores done and shower, Larry calls and says she is headed for surgery. Plans change - I pick up Skye (in tears), Sierra and Shem and we head back up to Chapel Hill. They are all a little grim. Madira hadn't gone into surgery yet when we arrived, so we were able to visit a bit while waiting for pre-op.There is a healthy bit of horseplay and teasing before she's picked up around 3:20 and we have between 5-6 hours to wait. Karen Eaker arrives as well and spends the time with us (Tally & Justin's owner) waiting. At 6:50 we are told she's out & in recovery(that was FAST), the surgeon tells us it was a great surgery, little/no bleeding (that's GOOD), what he did & she's doing fine. Shortly, a recovery tech tells us that she's awake but not ready for visiors - but soon. Then we get to visit with Madira and all head back to her room... Karen visits for a bit then she & Larry take Skye, Sierra & Shem back home while I stay. The night is quiet as the night nurses do all their checks on 'Dira. *** 7 Mon - Larry gets Sierra and Skye into school before coming up to visit/stay. Madira is measured for a back brace. When I head out, we hadn't heard from a doctor as to next steps... Darryl Taylor (farrier) arrives to take care of Gail's, Karen's & our horses while I'm making arrangements to have several picked up for a time. "Justan" gets the pad pulled off, left shoe reset and the right front shod. A few bobbles when we take him out to watch him, but he goes sound (YIPPEE!!). *** 8 Tues - Darryl is back to pick up Chaunter - keeping her at Dr. Dean's, DVM, farm down in Parkton until she foals. Larry again calls - "She's being released this afternoon". While I frantically straighten the bedroom, take apart bunk beds & do laundry (when was the last time the girls' did theirs??), Gail picks up Larry & Madira. Before they arrive, "Bud" and Erin arrive to pick up Karen's two ("Tally" & "Justan") as well as "Magic". *** 9 Wed - Madira sleeps most of the day while I continue doing laundry and get a nap myself. ***
*** 10 Thu - Larry takes Madira, Sierra & Skye to school & takes care of school/county paperwork. He also goes back every 3 hours w/ pain meds as paperwork from hospital wasn't acceptable for Harnett Cty school system. Keith Pittman & Barbara Davis arrive to pick up "Star" for a while. Keith sees "Monkey" & asks if we'd be interested in re-homing the 2 Finnish Spitz's his dad had (he'd had a stroke and his dogs were kenneled on daughter's property). He says he'll call w/ info about the dogs - will be seeing them when he goes to Jacksonville on Saturday. Larry picks up girls & 'Dira takes a 3 hour nap! (when is mine??) *** 11 Fri - Larry again takes girls to school & is dealing w/ the pain meds running, while I take care of bills, errands and taking Kayli for annual checkup & heartworm check. BAD NEWS - she tests positive (OK when is this ending?) I head home to pick up Harli, Monkey and Kona - to have them checked, though they aren't due. Gail rides up with me. Harli also tests positive while Kona and Monkey don't (how is this possible when I've kept them ALL current on Heart Worm prevention??). We swing in to WHHS to pick up Sierra from JROTC practice on way home from Sanford... GOOD NEWS - Madira is very excited - she's landed a bit part in the play that doesn't require dancing - she's thrilled (YES!!). *** 12 Sat - I'm up early (hmmm...) to make breakfast and take Madira to Saturday study class for Biology. She's concerned about her exams next week. Back at home, I feed & work on pasture until other two up. Then we clean out carport so that we can set up kennels that we're getting from Gail in preperation for the extra dogs I'd said I'd take on. Pick up Madira, load trash trailer w/ trash, hook up horse trailer to pick up hay from JT that we missed picking up last Saturday (imagine that). ATM/lunch run - then I'm off to pick up Gail and Skye & Shem are taking trash to dump while Larry and 'Dira are going to get groceries... Before Gail & I get on the road, a call - accident, no one hurt - Skye now understands that taking turns too fast will tip a trailer. We get probably the last round coastal bales we'll see in months and actually build a hay feeder for Gail's pasture & put an already built one from our pasture over the 2nd bale. We bring the other two bales to our place. *** 13 Sun - a slooow start, then off to meet Gail - need dog food & feed. On the way, we finally hear that Keith didn't bring the dogs back from Jacksonville as planned and he'd had a late night, but if we wanted to go and pick up dogs we could... So we did. The dogs (3 not 2) were kenneled on family property and Gail and I picked up all 3 to bring home and care for. "Porky" is very overweight, his double coat is matted in feces, urine and who knows what all. "Little Gurl" is the opposite - very underweight, shy and matted coat but not with excrement. "Monster" is the healthiest of the three, but still has a very matted coat and is overweight. 3/4 of the way home, "Porky"is very ill and foaming at the mouth. We get back and he is the the first to be bathed. He seemed to appreciate the attention - but it didn't get the mats loose at all. So the horse clippers came out - and as the mats came loose, we found they'd either created sores (especially where most matted around neck) or the sores had created the thick and nasty matts. Except for the tip of his tail, his head and his legs, he's shaved completely. While I'm shaving w/ partners that switch off w/ another set of clippers, the other two dogs get bathed and groomed - pulling out loose hair and matts. Then, the 2 - 3 inch long claws are attended to. Wow. I didn't even know that dogs claws could get that long... We'd bathed and clipped at Gail's house, so "Porky" was put into a sweatshirt, then he & "Monster" get loaded into our blazer to go home with us. *** 14 Mon - "Porky" has the 1st of 6 total siezures while with us. ***
***16 Wed - "Porky" has 3 siezures almost back to back this morning and I call a friend for help. We lay "Porky" to rest. He was comfortable, warm, fed and loved before he passed. *** 21 Mon - ML King Day is a relaxed day for us. I join Gail to work on a puzzle she wants help with. "Little Gurl" weighs in at exactly 15 lbs today. Wish I'd gotten her weight sooner. Gail and I wonder if "Little Gurl" will "make it". We just don't know. She's warm, but has trouble standing sometimes, she's urinating a lot and doesn't always keep her food down... Time will tell? *** 24 Thurs - Madira's appointment in Chapel Hill goes fantastic (Yea!!). Dr. Mathur says looks great, can sleep w/o brace & take a shower. No running, jumping, roughhousing, riding and - careful around the dogs. Stitches removed. Off Hydrocodone - take Tylenol if needed. *** Afternoon - "Monster" to All Animals Vet Clinic for health exam, shots & heartworm test (positive). Age guessed around 5-7 years. *** 29Tues - Sierra is leaving for the trip to Myrtle Beach, SC w/ the WHJROTC. *** "Monster" very ill - we clean him up, bleach kennel - i get put on hold by vet clinic & then cut off. *** Round bale in Jazzy, Pretty Girl & AJ paddock gone. *** 30 Wed - "Monster" much better. ***
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