Thursday, September 3, 2009 thru Sunday, September 6, 2009

Thursday - Moki and I went to Cadence today for therapeutic riding. When we got there, Ken was working on Snowman, using a flag-type thing on the end of a stick, and rubbing it on the top of his head. Snowman is very sensitive about putting a bridle on, and Ken wants to work him out of it. When he saw me, he hands me the lead rope and tells me that it's my new project! I gave Snowman some reiki, which he liked, and Ken walked around saying, "Woo-woo!"

Friday - I took Moki with me to square dancing so that Karen and Dick, who are leaving for Florida, could say good-bye to him. Also, Bob, Jackie's husband, had never met Moki. He got lots of attention! And the rest of the time he was a good boy, and I had a great time!

Saturday - I found a hiking trail near my house! I don't know where it leads, though. In our evening walk, we followed it, but it turned back around and it looked like it could rain any minute, so we went back the way we came. Maybe tomorrow morning we'll follow it and see where it goes. Moki's been getting a little obnoxious lately, and I take it to mean he needs longer walks!

Sunday - I met Rosemary at her church for a pancake breakfast. Then we hung out for awhile at the Durango swap meet. On my way home, I was hungry again. I have to tell you, I am not a big fan of cell phones - - in fact, have always hated 'em, and always will - - but, they can be convenient. Halfway home, I realized in my brilliance I had put the pizza place's number in my contacts! I pulled over to the side of the road, and ordered a pizza! How cool is that! Got to town, and there it was . . . ready for me! Awesome!

And speaking of the miracles of modern technology . . . I was very disappointed to find that I couldn't get a "land-line" in my new place because the cable had been cut between the main house and my little house. Brian said he would dig the necessary trench for it, but I felt guilty to ask him to do that. THEN! I found a device that hooks to your computer . . . it's a phone jack that plugs into your computer with a USB port, and then you plug a regular phone into the jack. It works perfect! Free calls (except for the price for the device, and then $20 a year after that!) And the voicemail works so cool . . . when someone leaves me a message, it sends me an email with the message embedded in it . . . so, I can listen to the voicemail from my email! How cool is that!?

Brian came in today to fix the heater, and we had a long conversation about the poleshift . . . my favorite subject! Life is so sweet!

Thursday, August 27, through Wednesday, September 2, 2009

Thursday - Therapeutic riding today. Ron's wife, Katie, was there, and she and I and Katie's daughter, Emma, rode Star for a minute or two. Star is a Peruvian Paso. I have always wanted to ride one! When I was young, I watched a Disney movie about Paso Finos . . . similar type of horse . . . and they had a contest. The rider would wear a top hat, and on top of the top hat was a glass of wine. The best horse could go around the ring without spilling a drop of wine. I've wanted that kind of horse since then! Star is what is called a "gaited horse." Her gait is . . . well, smooth enough not to spill a glass of wine! I've never felt it before, and it was really awesome! You can't tell by the picture, but she has beautiful blue eyes.

After the end of therapeutic riding, Ron invited me to sit in on the board meeting. It was mostly about the upcoming fundraising trail ride. I mostly sat quietly and just listened. Moki was in the other room, and he got a little noisy at times. Katie said I could turn him loose (he was in his crate) with her dogs. but I knew he would run around like crazy, so I said no.

Moki jumped on the bed for the first time today! He's getting big!

Saturday - Moki passed a big milestone today . . . he lifted his leg for the first time! My baby is becoming a man!

Sunday - I drove to the Ute Casino today, just outside of Cortez to play in a poker tournament. I got there early and had to kill some time. I wandered around looking at all the new fangled slot machines . . . nothing like the ones that the casinos had when I worked there. I finally found a penny slot machine, and played it for about a half hour . . . for one dollar! Me = last of the big time spenders! I did okay in the tournament . . . never got a good hand . . . and made it till the final round. I paid $5 for $1000 worth of chips, and on the first hand after the break, I lost it all! It was close, too, but coming in second doesn't count on these hands! I had fun, though, and may go back again in a month or so.

Monday - My old computer is old and tired, and my new computer's cable came today, so I could finally set it up! It's awesome!

Wednesday - Moki and I went on our first hike today. We went with Senior's Outdoors in Durango. Well, we met in Durango, met again at Purgatory (now known as Durango Mountain Resort), and then drove to the parking for Spud Lake. Kathleen, and her dog, Boone, drove with me. The road was HORRIBLE! It was like an almost four wheel drive road with rocks and ruts everywhere! But, my car did fine! Great, even. But, I am really glad that I got new tires! I don't think the old ones would have made it on this route.

The hike was perfect for Moki and me. He and I have been walking a mile and a half twice a day. I had to ask the vet if he could do three miles all at once, and she said to give it a shot, but make sure he doesn't overheat. Luckily, it was a cool day, so that wasn't a problem. Everyone commented on what a good boy he was! They thought he was beautiful, too! Well, not everyone . . . there were like thirty people there!

Anyway, it was a cool hike, and he and I both did fine, and the car did fine, and I enjoyed visiting with Rosemary and Kathleen, and some other people there. We had a great day!

Friday, August 21 through Wednesday, August 26, 2009

Friday - I traded my car in today. It had some expensive issues, and it was most likely contaminated with bad bugs. I couldn't take the chance. I got a Toyota Rav4, and it's a very nice car.

This evening was square dancing! It was a blast as usual!

Saturday - Aubrey, the landlord Brian's daughter, came over today to help me with Moki again. She's so good at this, and Moki is showing a marked improvement from her suggestions.

Wednesday - I left Moki at home today so I could drive to Farmington to get a new set of tires for the car, and do some other quick shopping. I still can't leave him alone too long.

Thursday, August 20, 2009

Thursday - I drove to Farmington today to see Pat and Stefan at the mustang ranch. After hugging Pat hello, I asked where Stefan was. She sent him home! Not home to Largo, but home to Germany! I missed him by one day! I was very disappointed, but it was still good to see Pat and hang with the mustangs for awhile.

But, on to the mustangs. Pat "introduced" me to all the mustangs. They kept them in little groups, and Pat had names for each group: the Vikings, the Mustalinos (or something like that), and others. Then their names were reflective of the groups they were in. None of them were "tame" yet, and shied away when I got close. Except for the two that Pat had already had at Largo and were already trained to halter and lead.

Today the BLM was coming out to put freeze brands on the horses. It's a gentler kind of brand rather than a hot branding iron. First, they put the horses in a chute, and then moved them to a "squeeze chute." Someone was on the other side of the squeeze chute, and pushed on the squeeze part in order to make the horse immobile, or as immobile as they could get it. Then, a man took a stick to the horses lips to force them open so they could see how old the horse is. You know the expression, "Don't look a gift horse in the mouth?" It's because the mouth is how you tell how old a horse is.

After that, the vet who was on premises would take blood from each horse. Next, was the freeze brand part of the procedure. They poured liquid nitrogen into a container and then put the "branding iron" in with the liquid nitrogen to get it cold. It was nothing like the old fashioned branding irons (which some still use.) It is very short, about the size of a hand held squeegee. While the horse is squeezed tight in the squeeze chute, they put the freeze brand onto the horse . . . and it has to stay there for thirty or forty seconds. Sometimes they guy holding the device has to move all around as the horse tries to get away from it. But, some of the horse just stood there . . . it just feels really cold, not the heated pain like a hot iron.

Each horse got a number and any kind of marks or blazes on him or her were written down. It was interesting.

Pictures: mustangs in corral, branding device, branding with horse in squeeze chute, Pat pushing the squeeze chute

Sunday, August 16 through Wednesday, August 19, 2009

Sunday - More trials with Moki. He has become food aggressive . . . after I put his food down, if I walk by or come close, he'll show his teeth and growl at me. Ever since he started that, I've been hand feeding him . . . one handful of food at a time. When I looked it up on the 'net today, I discovered some interesting information. He does a lot of things that show that he thinks he is the pack leader. I realized that I had to change things immediately, or I'd have big trouble real soon.

I learned . . . the pack leader: always goes through doors and gates first, and always like to walk in the lead. The information said you need to get the dog to sit before you go outside, and you need to be the first one through the door. Moki didn't like this at all. He didn't even want to sit. He stood by the door trying to get out first and barking his little, high pitched ANNOYING bark. But, I remained firm, and finally got him to do it.

When we went on our walk, I forced him to heel the whole time. Usually, I let him do his own thing for most of the walk, and only make him heel for part of it. Also, we stopped by the side of the road, and I wanted to work on sit and stay. He didn't care much for this, either, today. He refused to sit and barked and barked and barked. I kept "encouraging" him until he finally did it. We did it several times, and it wasn't until the last time . . . maybe the fourth or fifth time . . . that he finally did it without fighting me too much on it.

The other thing he always does is grab the leash. I've been letting him do it, because when he has the leash in his mouth, he doesn't pick up rocks and things off the road. I hadn't realized how aggressive he has been with it, until I wouldn't allow it today. As soon as he realized I meant business, he actually behaved better all the way around. This is really a great website that I found.

And, after many times going outside (after I read the info), he finally sits quietly by the door allowing me to go out first without fighting it at all. Success. Although, as a pack leader, I still have to enforce all these new behaviors. Oh yeah, and tonight when I fed him, I pet him while I hand fed him, and he wagged his tail a little bit. Not much, but that is a submissive behavior, so I'm making progress.

Monday - Volunteering at Medicine Horse for a class they're giving. This class is like the one I volunteered at before, but this one is all girls. Today, they learned the cowboy rules ("Howdy partner!"), and learned the emergency dismount. One of the horses got sold, and I didn't get to say good-bye. Bye Doc! I'll miss you. He was one of my favorites.

Moki has been much better, but hasn't totally given in to the idea that I'm the pack leader. We had a little session tonight where I'd put him in the submissive position, and he'd get up and bite me. So, I'd put him down again. This went on for about ten minutes, until he finally gave it up. Somehow, I think this won't be the last time! He's had it his way too long, and I didn't even realize it. Luckily, he's still small enough for me to physically put him down.

Tuesday - Today at Medicine Horse, the girls rode Abby, the "fake" horse. It moves just like a real horse, and often on tv and movies, the "riders" are actually riding a horse like Abby. Then we worked on brands . . . the girls designed their own, and then painted the horses. We used Missy and JayJay today. Afterward, we washed the horses off and shampooed where the paint was. The girls had a good time!

Moki is getting better, but still not content to be an underling in the our "pack." Today, I noticed for the first time that he's wagging his tail more. That's a good thing because it's indicative of submissive behavior. He wasn't wagging his tail before because the alpha dog doesn't need to. Now, he's finally making an effort to please the new pack leader . . . me.

Wednesday - Today was the last day of the girls' group at Medicine Horse. They learned how to groom the horse, and how to saddle. I told them to be careful of the flank on the horse, because that's where they put the band to make a horse buck at the rodeo. Ronda corrected me! They put on a sheepskin band, and it is only a cue for the horse! I had no idea! She said the horses are bred to buck, and they don't need the band on. Interesting!

Next, the girls rode Missy one at a time, learning how to steer and stop. They really liked that.

Friday, August 14, and Saturday, August 15, 2009

Friday - No one called me that Cadence was cancelled today. When I got there at 9:30, I caught a couple horses and started grooming them. Then I saw Ron. It was almost 10:00, and I wondered why I was the only one there! But, it was cool that I was there, because I asked Ron to give me a riding lesson. Dolly had a little snotty nose, so I rode Rosie, saddled. Ron taught me some cool stuff. He told me how to post, which I've never done, and I never quite got that. There was another woman there posting, and I asked her about when you rise in the saddle, and she said she was taught when the shoulder moves forward. So, next time I try it, I'll know what to look for. Rosie had a pretty nice trot to sit, though. And riding bareback, which I normally do, is more conducive to sitting a trot.

This evening, I went square dancing . . . square dancing and round dancing, I should say. The round dancing is mainly the rumba and cha cha. There are so many different names for all the different steps, and combine that with the horse terms I learned today . . . my head is spinning! Let's see . . . is side pass a horse term or a rumba term? What about shoulder to shoulder? Hand to hand or is it hand to hoof? Disengaging the hind quarters? That must be for the horse!

Saturday - Last day at my old house! And, I might have found someone to rent the buggy, ole place! My garage sale gave me just about enough money to cover paying the guy in the back house to take the "contaminated" stuff to the dump. Then, I brought a LOT of stuff across the street to the thrift store. I had to leave a big, heavy table in front of the house because Tig, who brought the stuff to the dump, never returned to help me move it. Oh, well. Whatever is meant to be! During the garage sale, I got very few people. But, at least it gave me a chance to clean everything out, sweep and mop the floors, and clean the sinks, etc. I am done! Well, almost done. The outside garbage can was overflowing, so I had to leave a bunch of garbage in bags by the door (so I don't have to step inside again!) But . . . I forgot that I left some stuff in the freezer. Most food items I just threw away, which was unfortunate, but I'm not taking any chances. The freezer stuff should be safe, so I need to go back and collect that. But, I AM DONE! FOREVER! YIPPEE! Another chapter in my life, closed, slammed shut, and done! Thank goodness I am outa there.

Brian, my new landlord, had a little dinner get-together and invited me over. One of his guests, Pam, brought her six month old puppy, Riata. Brian said to go get Moki. Riata was afraid of his exuberance, and Aubrey, Brian's daughter who is an animal trainer, helped Riata get over it. But, she was still scared. Meanwhile, Moki, who is never allowed to be free when he is outside, was running around and loving being in the fenced enclosure. He was jumping on everyone and mostly just making a nuisance out of himself. There is a little pond there, and he apparently thought he could walk on water, because next thing you know, he is swimming in the pond, unexpectedly! He was soaking wet! Then he shook himself and got everyone wet! After a little while longer, I took him home, dried him off, and put him back to bed. It was a fun evening for me with some interesting people.

Monday, August 3 through Thursday, August 13, 2009

Monday - More moving to new house. Today, I started teaching Moki to heel. He did better than I thought he would . . . since I've just let him run wild (on leash) on our walks, I thought it would be hard to get him to settle down. But, for his first day, he did pretty well. He's got "down," "shake," and "stand" pretty good now . . . he'll do it maybe 90 per cent of the time. But, I got the feeling that he's already bored with it, so I added "sit," and "on your side," which is kind of a half of roll over. He's a smart dog - - I have to keep him interested!

Tuesday, Wednesday

More moving and organizing. Plus, driving to Cortez where it's hotter, so I can "bake" items in the front seat to make sure I kill any bad bugs so they won't go with me to the new house.

Thursday

Drove to Durango to buy a bigger crate for Moki. Brought it home, cleaned it with bleach, and took it over to the new house . . . it never entered my old house!

Friday

Last night was my first night in the new house. Blissful! Perfectly blissful! Moki woke up in the middle of the night, realized he was in a different bed (new crate), and started crying. I comforted him, and he went back to sleep.

More moving, and decided not to have that garage sale just yet.

Saturday/Sunday

More moving. But, now every time I'm at the old house for more than a few minutes, I get the heebie jeebies, and have to come home, wash my clothes, and take a shower! I'll be so glad when I'm finished moving and don't have to go in that house anymore!

Tuesday - Moki and I went to Cadence this morning to help with therapeutic riding. This afternoon, I went to the old place to clean up a bit. I bought a pair of shorts (I'm not really a shorts person!) just so I wouldn't feel like things were crawling up my legs at the old house! I cleaned out my desk, and a couple small boxes, which is more than I expected to get done today. I have to bag up the stuff from the desk, and wash and extra dry some of the clothes, and I'm getting really close.

Thursday - Hopefully, this is one of my last days at the old house. It still gives me the heebie jeebies. I talked to Nanc from the back house today, asking if it is all right if Tig borrows her truck to take some of my stuff to the dump. She doesn't have the bug problem that I did. She told me about the bugs she gets . . . seasonally . . . and I didn't even get those! She has mice, though, and luckily, I never got those. I never got the garter snakes, either, that the previous tenant told me about.

BUT, today, after talking to Nanc, and after finishing cleaning the dog crate . . . I went to go into the house, and there, pretty as you please, is a fat garter snake marching his little butt into the house through the open door. Well, he wasn't exactly marching, and I couldn't really find his butt, but you get the idea! I tried to get him to turn around, and he wouldn't, and finally I got the fireplace tool, and used it as a snake stick to pick him up.

I held a cobra in India without a second thought (well, maybe one or two) and I won't pick up a mostly harmless garter snake. I say mostly, because the previous tenant's young son used to catch the garter snakes that came into the house. He told me that one of them bit him, so he named it Snappy. I was afraid today's "guest" might be Snappy! And I'm here to tell you that even if a snake isn't venomous, it still hurts when they bite you! Ask me how I know!