Random Post

I am not sure that you can call this an update because I am pretty sure I will leave something out.  I'm still fiddling with anti depressant cocktails to get a good balance between somewhere between terribly anxious and I don't give a damn.  I'd also like to find a good point between total focus on one thing, and unable to focus on anything.  I don't ask for much.

Casper is doing well in horsey school and I am learning so much more than I could have imagined.  I really don't think a Great White Shark could have taught me any more about life and myself than my good old horse is teaching me.  Once I removed the blinder that "far away and exotic is better" my eyes have been opened to a whole panorama of things I've missed.  Click the red slippers-there's no place like home.

Oliver the Parrot and I are ready to take our next step too-we are looking for another grey who is older-perhaps one whose person died or had to go into a home.  He loves watching television, but he loves most of all to watch other grey's on You tube.  The other day we watched Alex the Parrot's last video.

Alex was very sad in this video-he'd been plucking feathers and kept asking to go back to his cage.  This upset me and it upset Oliver.  OTP was so upset he crawled up on my pillow and took a nap-something he never does-he just wanted to be close at that moment.

I've always felt like Alex' schedule was too much for one bird-Oliver needs lots of down time and alone time.  I also feel very strongly that each species, if they are social, needs one of their own to truly experience the fullness of understanding.  For instance, I wrapped myself up in a blanket the other day to experience Oliver without hands.  He picked up on it immediately and hopped over to examine my face without worrying about those arms and hands zooming in.  He seemed relieved.

Now, he likes my hands-he's learned to let me rub his neck and shoulders and feed him.  But I will never be able to preen him, or be just close to his own size.  It must be a little like living with a giant.  Ok, it must be EXACTLY like living with a giant.

So, I am going to find another grey and we'll see what happens.  It has to be older, a young one would outlive me by a long time.  Hopefully it's not damaged-but we'll see about that too.  I've thought it through, and the worst that could happen is that it will have to live at one end of the house and Oliver at the other.  But I am hoping something else happens-I'm just not sure what it will be.

I've made the acquaintance of a few potential friends, but they are a little on the young side.  We've got feelers out for just the right bird, and I know when the time is right it will join us.  After THAT-well I have no idea.

To Set the Record Straight

I really try hard to do what I'm told and if some people can't hang on after they tell me to trot, well what is a boy supposed to do.  I also like looking straight at the camera, and that lady is always complaining that it's not my best angle.  LOOK at this face-there is not a bad angle on this face!

Why, I look good even when I'm making funny faces.  Did you know Mr. Ed was buried in Oklahoma?

When the lady thinks I'm being silly she sometimes calls me Mr. Ed.  I think I may start referring to her as Wilbur.

This is not ME-this is Dazzle-she is one of my fair ladies. She always looks away when the lady is trying to take her picture and she (that woman) says she's not going to fiddle with her any more.  Look at her, she's so tiny next to me and so delicate-grrrrrooooowl.  But the lady says it doesn't matter much,  because I'm a gelding.

This is Macho.  He's a stallion.  What does HE have that I don't?  Hmph.

A New Door Opens

I've been holding off blogging about this because I didn't want anything else going on in my life to color this -the announcement I've waited my entire conscious life for. Casper is mine.

One day a couple of weeks ago I blogged about how my life was working, yadda, yadda, I enjoyed my riding but lessons were enough (I deleted that) and I was convincing myself yet again not to have my own horse. Then someone gave me a horse. And not just any horse-this horse.

Now, I'm not being subjective when I say that anyone can see at one glance what an absolute dream of a horse he is. LOOK at this horse!!! Look at those eyes. Look at the color. A non-horse lover would want this horse.

Due to some family illnesses, he's been a pasture ornament for a few years, and when he gets the notion, he breaks out and comes into the front yard for pets and carrots. He LIKES to be fussed over, have his mane brushed and baths, etc. I would love him even if he was an ugly horse, but he's not-he's drop dead gorgeous.

Shelly and Kim Harris are angels. They did for me what I couldn't or wouldn't do for myself. They gave me a wonderful horse, and now it's up to me to take this gift and make the most of it.

Casper is going to my riding instructor for a tune up-then we'll work together with the instructor to become a team. He's almost identical in size and build to Bailey-the lesson horse, so moving over to Casper will not be as much of a stretch. Even his name is special-the "horse that got away" in my youth-her name was Spook. Don't you just love it when something happens and you KNOW it's ok to say "yes?"

I'm not telling my folks until after Casper has his tune up and we are working together. Part of this is that I don't want any raining on my parade, and part of it is that I hope to work with the trainer on the process-to learn to train as well as ride (within my abilities). I want to give Mom time to heal before I give her something else to worry about.

I'm going to trade my travel trailer for a horse trailer with small living quarters-it looks like there'll be one more going on the road for any adventures, and I couldn't be happier about that.