June 24 - At last

I got a call to come in for an interview. I was really starting to get discouraged. Sending out as many resumes a week as I was...I was thinking that WalMart or Tim Horton's was going to get all my attention over the next couple weeks.

Anyways...this interview is with a construction/engineering company. They are based in Edmonton. The position is for a timekeeper - so the same thing as I was doing for Bantrel last year.

The interview went well...I think. All the interviews this year have been weird. Not many questions asked...told about the job...asked if I had any questions...and then they said "we will let you know early next week".

So now the wait is on again.

June 20 - Gunner worries me.

Gunner has been lame for a couple weeks.

At first I thought it was bruising because the pen he was in had gravel way down and with his pacing he brought it up and got some rocks in his feet. So I did some soaking and moved him to a new pen and he seemed okay.

Then he got sore again so I had the farrier out to re-trim as I thought it was too much sole just at the toe. She said "nope...thrush". That was last Friday...so on Monday (after getting some meds from the vet) we started treatment for that.

Last night, he was so sore that he refused to lift one of his front feet (oh...only sore on the fronts). So by this time, I am scared that I have missed something...so we were off to the vet this afternoon.

After watching him walk and trot, and then doing the pressure test with the foreceps looking thing, the vet said "well, it isn't thrush, I can't see any bruises or abcesses coming...but boy is he sore. His entire right foot is showing sore and the toe on the left. Let's go do some x-rays."

So off we went into the x-ray room where he took a lateral of the left foot and then a bunch of the right.

He found one teeny gas pocket in one foot but said "that isn't it". No navicular, coffin bones were good.

I had told him that I thought it was the trim job...way too much sole left on the toes compared to everywhere else and it seemed like he wasn't walking level on the entire foot. He concurred with me and said for me to get the farrier out to take the sole on the toe down a little bit. He also suggested I buy some "Magic Cushion" and pack his right foot for a few days to give him some relief. When I was leaving, he told me to relax and start enjoying the horses again...and to trust in my judgement on what could be wrong as he knows that I know what I am doing. (He was Hyde's vet).

I am so happy that it isn't something major...and something I had missed in trying to doctor him myself. So relieved that I didn't even flinch at the vet bill. LOL

(I am not knocking the trim job of my current farrier as we are correcting things with Gunner's front feet as we go along but things are just not right with his feet right now with how they were trimmed and what we are going for. It will take a while to fix everything).

June 19 - hay found

YIPPEE

I was chatting with a friend last night and she found me an ad for hay for sale. I e-mailed the lady last night and she called. We bought 2 "skids" of small compressed squares of timothy hay and 2 - 1000 lb squares of 80% alfalfa hay. Each skid has 24 bales on it.

The guy is also taking orders for hay for this year...so we will see what this stuff is like and will be ordering it if it is as good as it sounds.

Doyle is on his way home with it right now. He called and said it is nice. He also found out that it is the same hay that Jason buys. So that is a good recommendation as Jason feeds year round.

We are needing hay right now as we still haven't had enough rain for the pastures to be really good. We are still feeding Gunner but the rest of them seem to be doing okay.

This could be fun!!

My high school is having their 100th anniversary next July. I think I am going to get tickets to go. Looks like it could be lots of fun.

They have a huge website already built for the party. Just spent the last half hour going through it. if anyone wants to peek here is the link:

http://www.cci100.com/

June 18 - Gunner's going to be a daddy

Took Rondee and Ding into the vet today. It was quite the spectacle getting them to load. I wanted Rondee in first and then Ding in the back. Well, that was not happening. Rondee said "hmmm...maybe"...stepped in with her front end and then flew backwards. AFter that it was absolutely NO.

So we loaded Ding. She took a little grain to persuade her to get in but she did. We tied her up and shut the divider. Then tried with Rondee. I am not strong enough to hold and pull with my bad elbow so Doyle got in the trailer...which is a big deal as he is very nervous.

We tried everything and no go. Then Rondee got loose. Doyle cornered her and caught her and we tried again. This time we opened the divider and moved Ding's butt over.

Once Rondee saw that she had lots of room and could get right up beside Ding she walked right in. So now I have a scared hubby in the front of this trailer with two horses between him and the door.

I had him untie Ding and retie her to the next spot and then bring Rondee in further and tie her. I then told him to just duck under Ding's neck and come out. He did great. I am very proud of him!!!

So off I went to the vet clinic. The assistant came out and helped me bring them in together...which was a good thing as Rondee is a very nervous nelly. Ding, however, went "oh...treats...okay...coming". LOL

Both of them checked in foal to Gunner (Young N High - High Brow Hickory x Young Gun daughter). They are due on April 30 and May 1.

We then had to do the same thing at the vet clinic. Load Ding and then Rondee and put them both in the front section of the trailer. Good thing this vet clinic is willing to help out with stuff like loading.

So that means, with Gidget, I have THREE maiden mares foaling in two days. Let's hope they space themselves out a little bit.

But YIPPEE!!! My cutting horse breeding operation is off and running.

June 16 - more rain

If I couldn't see it and hear it with my own eyes, I would not believe that it was actually raining.

After two weeks of seeing this big rain clouds and storms go by us, this one actually stayed on course and hit us dead in the middle of the big line of cloud.

I hope it is a big one cause we desperately need moisture.

I spent all morning yesterday and again today moving the big sprinkler around the backyard and into Gunner's little pasture to salvage some of the grass. Maybe I will be able to give the wells a break for a day or two.

June 15 - Interesting phone call

I got a phone call today from the Dodge dealership in Vegreville. They want to sell us an extended warranty for our truck. After listening to the spiel and then telling the lady what we do with the truck...she agreed that it may not pay to get it.

We went onto cost and I told her that we could not afford it in any event due to my unemployment. She then asked me what I do for a living. I told her that I am an administrative assistant. She said "really...send me your resume". We are looking for a couple new people and the boss is wanting to go by word of mouth instead of advertising. She then asked if I had any work experience in Veg so that the boss could talk to those people as well instead of just those on my resume. I told her who and she wrote them down...then gave me her e-mail address.

So I have sent my covering letter and my resume off to her.

Maybe something will come of putting my resume into a job this way. LOL

June 16 - Gidget is in foal

I heard from Dale this morning.

Gidget has been confirmed in foal to Whata Sansation (Hotrodder Disco x Peppy San daughter). He has earnings of $7000 +.

I can hardly wait to see this foal.

She is due around April 30, 2010.

June 15 - Rondee and Ding breeding news

I am taking Rondee and Ding in on Thursday at 11 for their preggo checks. I have been teasing since Thursday and no signs of impending heat cycles. They would both be at Day 19 or further (that was yesterday).

I am also still waiting to hear from Dale on Gidget. If she didn't show signs of heat on the weekend then she was going in for her ultrasound today.

So I have three maiden mares all bred the same weekend. eeps. I may be in trouble next year.

Gunner and his incessant pacing

This boy is going to drive me nuts. I wish he would just settle in and eat. He paces all day and night.

Normally it is at the one end of his pen - the closest to the horses pastures. He screams every once in a while and will stop and eat one or two bites and then go back to pacing.

Well, today he found something new to pace about. Our neighbor brought his cows to the property across the road. So now, while he can hear them he can't always hear them. So he is now pacing at both ends of his arena sized pasture.

Poor boy just can't win.

Dolly's messed up breeding season.

We brought Molson home the weekend after Denver was born...hoping to breed Dolly back on her foal heat.

He was happy to see a girl...and she was happy to see him. He bred her twice that day and then left her alone. Not sure what happened but maybe we missed her heat?

So we waited 4 days and saw nothing so I went and bought a shot of Lute to bring her back into heat. 4 days later she was in again and I watched closely for 5 days and only saw him breed her once. He would roar up to her, stance, posture and then walk away. WEIRD.

So I took him home...hoping that he got her.

We then decided after watching Gunner pace and be a total brat, that Dolly would be a perfect mare to tune him in and teach him some manners. Figuring that she was totally out of her heat cycle after it being over a week since Molson had bred her or showed interest.

But NOPE...wrong. Gunner roared in...and while Dolly tryed to tune him in, he just was having none of it...and ended up breeding her 6 times in a matter of hours.

It was a hot day and even when he wasn't trying to breed her, he kept her and baby moving so I finally caught him and put him away from her to let her and baby rest.

We decided after this that Gunner would live by himself this year and we will wait and DNA Dolly's baby next year to see who the daddy is.

WHAT A MESS!!!

June 11 - Equine Chiropractor

I had one over today to work on Angel and Dolly.

Angel has been sore in her withers since I brought her home from that breeding lease over a year ago. She sure needed it. She was out in her two first vertebrae (behind her ears), two in her neck, 4 in her withers, 2 in her mid back, two just as the back goes over the hips and her pelvis was tipped. Her shoulder was also out a bit and her tmj joint.

Poor girl, no wonder she didn't want to do anything - especially under saddle.

Melissa (yes another one) was very good...very patient with a horse that has no idea how to stand square. LOL Angel stood really good for the exam part...but HATED the adjustment. Every pop of the hand on the mallet caused a big jump sideways and a long look. The massage and accupressure after all was done she loved - dropped her head, closed her eyes, took really deep breathes, sighed lots. And you could see an immediate difference in her strides...Melissa said she saw it...I HEARD it as she was trotting behind me. Much more even and fluid.

Dolly was next. As you all know, Dolly has trust issues...and it is getting worse as she seems to be losing sight in the eye that was hurt two years ago at the breeders. Anyway...she did not like the exam at all. Went everywhere to get away from this strange lady...pulled us all over the place. I finally left to go and get doyle's help and when I came back, she was standing nice and calm for Melissa. She was out in 2 places in her neck, her pelvis was tilted and was especially bad in her lumbar area - probably due to the problems with her hocks. We decided to do a minimal adjustment...just trying to do the lumbar as that is where she was really bad. And amazingly enough, she stood there like a perfect lady while she got adjusted with the mallet...so everything got done.

Then the massage started - with LOTION (you know that scary liquid gel stuff that will eat you when it touches you). Well we were off to the races again trying to get that done. AFter the lotion was all applied she then stood again for a bit of an accupressure treatment in the really tight spots. When we turned her loose, she trotted away and YIPPEE...her back feet were going in stride with the front instead of a sort of bunny hop.

Melissa will be back on the 23rd to do a follow-up with the two girls. I may get her to look at Gunner due to the rigors of the training and now breeding season when she is back.

I was very happy.

June 12 - IT'S RAINING

Sort of. LOL

It started out feeling like a mist that you walked through...and then the drops started. It has been trying really hard for about an hour...long enough for the surface of the sidewalk and the deck to be wet...but not enough to stop the dust from passing vehicles.

So while we are getting moisture, unless it does this continually for the next MONTH, I don't think it is going to do much. LOL

Another job bites the dust - June 11

Well, I heard from the staffing agency. I didn't get the job at Shell. The picked someone else from another agency...but did say they were impressed with me and I was 2nd runner up.

Guess I keep looking. Will maybe have to apply at Walmart and Tim Horton's. LOL

Denver plays

This is the little man's first foray into a pasture with his mom AND his dad. He sure romped.



But first he had to be a pain in the "tail" to his dad. LOL Molson sure wasn't sure what to make of this but knew that if he gave Denver shit really bad that both Dolly and I would make his life hell for a few minutes.


And then he posed. He sure is a nice looking colt.