the world as it is

Well it is Friday. I seem to like to post on Fridays. Hmmmm.. Maybe because I want the week to be over? probably. This week has been long. And now the week will be longer. Will be working on weekends now at Walmart. Doesnt seem too hard or even to use alot of brain power but will be busy, so that is good. We are supposed to get the 's' word (snow) next week. I guess we have been putting off winter for long enough. Time to come! Last night i was planning on going over to Pursley's where Lady is at. Michele is fostering her (thank you Michele)and i have been there to help (?)ok, just watch Michele ride Lady. We are going to get quite a few rides on her before either Midwest and the fund Raiser next June. I am hoping for a family to get her! she is doing very well, just needs more practice! She is so beautiful and caring. I am so surprised someone hasnt adopted her yet! She will be 20 years old and has impeccable ground manners. Only has been ridden the indoor arena and a few times in the outside round pen. Michele has done a great job with her on ground training, but hopefully Rebecca can really get her finished. She is an awesome horse and loves to be messed with.
We will be finding out in December if we get to go to Midwest again this year. This would be my 5th year in going. We have such a great time and I get quite a few donations! But other rescues want to be included and Midwest Horse Fair is really geared in accepting the breeds. So we may not be accepted. But i hope so! It took me 2 years of pleading with the board and they finally let me in. If they have extra stalls why not? Brings in more money for them. So cross your fingers.
So anyhow, Harley update. He is gaining but still so slowly. I have to give him bute with a syringe. He hates meds or powdered meds or anything foreign in his grain. So that is hard. he was a bit funny last night. Like I said I was supposed to go see Lady and Michele last night. Harley comes into the barn with a ton of burr's in his mane and tail! His tail was like a ball and there were so many burrs in his mane, i couldnt see hair anymore! Oh yes, I have time to clean you up boy! the places where I have that many burrs for him is behind the barn, so he has to walk through weeds to get through it. Wondering where he is going?? He doesnt usually stray that far. What a goof! and he really hates when I mess with him while he is eating. Puts back his ears and threatens to bite me. Dr. jean called last night saying all blood work was normal. Why isnt he eating and gaining more?? boy, if i could give him a feeding tube and dump a few hundred pounds of food into him i would! he may be in a bit more pain than i think.
Will be a nice weekend! Get a ride in before the 's' flies!! Yikes!
Take care-

A different week

So the weekend was good for me. Busy, but good. Saturday, had a conference that I helped to plan for my Ophth docs. Went from 7am to about noon. then I went to give plasma and then home. Got to actually SEE the horses. It gets dark so early now. Worst time of the year. I have lights, but its not the same as the daylight. Then on Sunday, i got up to do the horses, went back to bed for an hour and then got up to see Strider, a 19 year old Arab that a lady wants to find a good home for. Corinne, a lady who i know through the rescue went to look at him as well for her sister. Boy, is he a nice boy! Not your typical flighty Arab, but a nice, decent and well mannered boy! She has been doing natural horsemanship with him (Parelli) and the work really shows. He is bigger than I thought too. But really a beautiful boy! Lisa was very nice about explaining all she has been doing with him. She boards 3 horses (YIKES) at The Horse First in Brooklyn, WI. Wow! Say it again- WOW! NICE place! Big and beautiful indoor arena with lots of tack room, everythign you can think of! heated too! But anyhow, Lisa's youngest daughter really isnt a horse person so she needs to find a home for Strider. Both Corinne and I were very impressed with him. Good deal - she wants to find him a good home. Registered adn she is asking $500.00 for him. A great deal. Anyhow after Lisa was done speaking with us and we were talking about him in the parking lot, a family comes up to me! Its the Rodriguez family! they adopted Annie about 5 years ago! She is the QH filly who tried to attack me a few times after I got her from auction! OMG! I do normally keep in touch with my families, but I havent talked to them for about 2 years now! She is doing well and the girls are getting so tall! Young ladies now, not kids for sure. So it was a great day! Corinne was kind enough to give me a donation while we were out there as well. Thank you! I had to get grain and senior that day! Harley is doing well and actually gaining some weight too! his spine isnt so pronounced and he actually gets up when I go out to feed! I was giving him so much grain, he would nap more than usual. But now he is walking more and really, really looks forward to his little 8 pounds of grain/senior a day. Well I have to say I am saving money now with not giving him more! He is eating more hay and that is what he is supposed to be eating! I also give him alphalfa cubes as well. But little treats anymore. And boy he misses his carrots! He is such a good boy. Doesnt like me to mess with him while he is eating though! he actually will put his ears back at me! Only while he is eating though. REminds me of Breeze, Cindy and Kurts horse letting me know not to get next to her food!! OK then! tomorrow I start my part time job with Wal-Mart. Excited that I will have more money to pay for hay and things that come up. Wont be forever, I have to remember that! So Monday is almost over and thank goodness. Always busy at work on Mondays! Hope you all had a great weekend. Thank god for the weather as well!

work, work and more work

Well the last few weeks I have been putting in applications for part time jobs. yes, have to work harder and longer! But that is ok to keep my horses and rescue. Sometimes you just have to do what you have to! So Walmart calls me yesterday for an interview today. I go and get interviewed by 2 people. And then suddenly i have the job! Cashiering and helping in the toys department. I know some people who love or hate Walmart. Well for now, i love Walmart and sorry guys, for the most part I love Walmart. Great prices and I usually can find what I need and want. Not sure if I get a discount, hopefully i wont spend my check on stuff! But I wont do that. I only get what I need. So next Tuesday is my orientation day. I am going to be at Walmart on the West side of Madison. Would rather have the Baraboo location. They have a 24 hour store. So weekends are really the only time I can work. I would have loved the night shift on Friday and Saturday when I can come home, feed the horses, let the dogs out and then sleep for awhile and still have some of my weekend. But that wont be the case. But who knows? i could win the lottery before then!! HA! Have a conference that I am doing on Saturday- I have had to only work 3 Saturdays and this Saturday was an orientation day for Walmart! Figures!! So they are letting me do next Tuesday. Good the sooner the better. My full time job is the main priority, so if I can work around that, it will be good. Busy at work today, lots of phone calls and visitors. When it rains it pours! Oh no! I said the R (rain) word!! Yikes! Harley is doing pretty well on his diet. You can tell he wants more grain but he is eating more of his hay! Still waiting for my lab results. I called the office today. They said it was pretty much normal but Dr. Jean will be calling me. She will. I have to get some pics of him! Before he gains weight and is a butterball! Ok, so fat chance on that, but it could happen! Then we assess him for riding. so that is it for today. Will be back tomorrow!

Monday and back to work!

Good morning everyone! This last weekend was great! NICE weather! Up to almost 70 on both days. We worked up a sweat on Saturday. I had 4 volunteers on Saturday, Michele, Michelle, Manda and Nika! All did fabulous. We had some hard, hard work on Saturday. The big barn was horrible! I had been feeding in there for 2 weeks and it was bad with hay, poop and pee. I usually clean the big barn at least once a week but couldnt get the crap outside due to the pouring rains we got a few weeks ago. So with 5 of us, it took us about 1.5 hours to get it all clean. Still a small problem taking it out to the big pile, but we put down boards to get to the back with the manure. Now that its nice out, I have been feeding again outside. The horses have access to go in and out as they please but if the food is outside, they would rather stay outside unless its cold and/or rainy. The flies and asian beetles all woke up this weekend as well. Love it when i have a clean barn! We also cleaned tanks, moved the round pen, cleaned up the loose hay in the barn. Thank you girls!! On Sunday, Sam came to help with the bigger stuff like fencing etc. He put some new boards on the fencing, fixed my side door to the big barn, put my cabinet in the office back up and organized in there. He had a starting time when he took stuff out. It appears that I have mice in there! How in the heck can they get in there?? Man! Now I have to buy some traps or poison. Most of my feed and such is in metal trash cans, so they cant get in there, thank goodness. Rebecca also came out to work with Mia. She was good for most of the time! But when its nice out they like to jump around and buck and snort! We put the saddle and pad on her. While she was a tad bit nervous, she was good about it. My saddle is pretty heavy too, so I dont blame her saying 'what the heck is on my back!, get it off now!' Rebecca is determined to train her to ride soon. I like that determination! And Mia is ready.
Then later in the afternoon, my friend Deb came out to visit. She used to help on volunteer day, but she has some problems with her hands and fingers and just cant do that type of work anymore. But is a great friend and really loved catching up with her that wasnt via email! Today, another great day outside. My vacation is coming up! The week of thanksgiving! When I was married, i used to go out to my cousin, Virginia's place in California. It was always great to get away from the hunters and let the guys do their bonding. And I am sure while they missed me, the loved it not having me around so that i wouldnt get in the way of deer hunting. But this year will be quiet and getting stuff done, like my garage!! I need and want to park in my garage. Was going to get at that on Saturday, but just ran out of time! Have to get some gravel in front of the garage as well. Might just lose my muffler if i dont! Anyhow, long week this week. I have to work all week, with a late meeting on Thursday night and then on Saturday morning. But it should go fast! Also have an interview with Wal-mart tomorrow for a part time job on weekends. Just need to get caught up with bills, make sure I have some extra for those just in case times- you all know what i mean about that!
And I am also waiting for the paperwork to fill out for the big fund raiser next year in June! We will be having it at Mandt Stables in Oregon, WI. Big and nice place! I am very excited! so that is it for today! I know back to work, but try to have a great Monday!

Friday and Sunny!

Josh, Mindy and Isabella (Ireland's filly) Adopted in 2007!
Ok, so my days lately are just asking, is it going to rain or be sunny? Being sunny this time of year helps me immensely!! the mud is slowly drying up and I can now go into parts of the paddocks to my old routine of where I put my hay for the horses. I can go in and work a bit with Raven. She has been letting me pet her with me one side of the fence and her on her side. She has let me pet her on her back, legs, her chest and also her belly. When I go in, she is alittle more hesitant and still will only let me do her neck and head. This weekend is me going to push her a bit and try to get her to let me pet her back. I still havent been able to get the halter on her yet only because of the mud and not being able to get that close to her- she is a great girl. So wanting to trust and love. I will eventually put her in the 'docile' horses, but the first few days always bothers me because the 'docile' ones will make her run and run around so that she knows that they are over her in their horse world. She should fit it well there. Kobb -ever since he has been boss, makes sure that he is in charge and he is keeping that title! He is relentless sometimes with Daevin. Not so much with Honey and Breeze. So hopefully he will accept Raven after only a few days of torture! Big, fat Cheyenne will go back in with the bullies. She likes them for some reason. but they are all strong in body and will. So whoever goes up there must be on the look out for a chastising if needed! HA! I love my horses so-
anyhow, still working on a place for my fund raiser for next year. I think I have found a place, and have emailed them the outline we have prepared already. Pretty preliminary, but tells them what I want to do. Its either going to be a big bust or just a wonderful hectic day! Either way, we will have great fun.
We have called it "The first ever Family Horse-Around" Cool name!
this weekend is busy for me. Saturday, will have volunteers that are coming. We have a ton to do to get ready for winter. Sunday, I have a few other people coming that cant come on Saturday. A good friend, Deb who used to come out but has some problems with her hands and fingers really cant do the heavy work anymore. She is coming out to get some horse love and hang with me as well. We also have to get things ready for the Jefferson Tack Sale that is in January. We sell all sorts of tack and baked goods. We do very well there. It also benefits the 4-H clubs in the area with the money they get for their tables. So all in all, a very good event! Lots of tack stuff there. 2 huge buildings full of people selling stuff. find great deals!
Also Rebecca coming out to work with Mia. Mia has been doing extremely well for Rebecca. Poor Rebecca lost her round pen so that i could use that for another paddock! I am extremely happy with what she is doing with my horses. She is kind, patient and really loves to work with them. She is still planning on trying to train her to ride even over the winter! i cant wait!
Oh, i will be going out on Sunday to see Blinky (now Mr. B) and Flicka. they were the two that found a great couple to adopt them. I couldnt take them into my rescue but advertised them for the lady who couldnt keep them anymore. I will be getting updated pictures of them up on this blog next week. thank you don and Lynne!
I will be sending out an email next week to my horse contacts to see about volunteering for the fund raiser and also if they can donate any used tack for me to sell at the Jefferson Sale. Its been a long week for me at work, but a good one.
I wish you all well!

thank you Jean!

Ok, so yesterday was a busy day for me. Stayed home in the morning so that my vet, Dr. Elmer could assess Harley. He was snoozing of course, but once he saw her he gets up! What is it with vets and the horses can smell them a mile away?? Boy, he was a BAD boy with me trying to get his halter on. He wasnt having anything to do with getting poked and prodded. Finally we get the halter on him. He is trying to get away! I guess he is a bit spoiled (ok, alot spoiled). I havent really worked with him and he gets to roam wherever he pleases. Jean is working him over but not anything horrible on his part- His heart good, his teeth good. He is obviously a little bit in pain with his arthritis in his hips. But when he walks around, he is better. comes from laying down all dang day! I am sore too after sleeping at night!
So anyhow, we are bringing his senior/grain wayyyyyyyyyyyyy down to make him eat more hay. So here is his first day of his new diet.
8 pounds of grain
unlimited hay (he always has that)
1/2 cup of veg oil on his grain
1/2 cup of molasses
1 gram bute in syringe with apple sauce or molasses (since he doesnt eat anything that is medication in his grain!)
So we will see how he does with that.
One thing I was not knowing is that if you give them too much veg oil the grain doesnt get absorbed as well. I was putting it on his grain each time (x3)
So this is his diet each day.
He is also getting a heavy duty wormer for 5 days straight.
Then I can continue on his every other month regime.
So, Harley, lets see the pounds come on! He is such a good boy and i really dont think its time for him to be put down. i think he can come around, gain weight and be ridden again! He also got his blood drawn (good boy at this!) and we hope there isnt anything wrong internally. Also giving him Vit E in his grain.
I love you Harley! You need to be with us for a long time! All of my volunteers just love him as much as I do. Hard not to. He follows everyone around. Like a huge dog! Anyhow, lets all pray for Harley!

I got a call last night from a lady in Canada. She left me a message to call her. Which is fine, but she is in Canada! My answering machine is very horrible so I got all of her numbers except the last one. REally dont have the funds to call someone in Canada. If you would like to talk to me, emailing me is much better! Its free!
jpulvermacher@ophth.wisc.edu - Also with the scammers around, I dont want to call this number and then my phone bill comes in and I owe a bunch of money! Not that I think this woman is a scammer, but I have to be careful. She said that she was on my website and to call her. Well, if you are reading this (Corrine, I think??) please email me or call me back after 7pm at night! I was also working late last night and didnt get home until 8pm. But I apologize if you are someone who wants to just talk! But as I am watching my pennies very carefully, even calling a honest person at a regular phone number is a bit over my budget right now. Trying to find a place for my fund raiser next year and not having too much luck at that. but I am still looking!! Need a place big enough! Not alot of stables that are big enough for this- But I am trying to find one.
I also want to thank all of my volunteers and donors! You all mean so much to me. I would NEVER be able to do this without you all! thank you so much!

Its Monday!

Well, the weekend sure goes fast! Even with our extra hour! Well, my weekend was trying to clean up around the house, inside and out. Even though its Monday, i have to really think on what I did during the weekend! Saturday- Still over hang. Oh yes, cleaned the barn since Harley can go in and out as he pleases. Got the moldy hay out of the barn (yes, my hay guy replaces that!) I was pretty tired over the weekend. Worried about Harley- My vet is coming out tomorrow to check on him. I dont know how to explain about Harley! he is so dang picky and what he eats. i have different kinds of hay all over for him (he gets to go anywhere), he has 2 HUGE pails of sweet feed and senior feed. Gets veg oil on one of them, gets a TON of carrots (ok carrots are the love of his life!) but still he does not gain weight. So I have to get Jean out to assess him. So give him a little thought or prayer! He is such a love bug. I just cant lose him. Not right now! Anyhow, good thoughts for my big boy Harley! Sunday- I completely forgot about the packer game! OMG! Against my Brett Favre. Oh well. Must not be that important! I was feeling a bit down about my hay. Lately, my hay guy brings me out some hay and 2 of the bales were moldy! Yuck! So that means he has to come out to bring me more. He had a Morgan sale and his horse didnt bring in alot of money. And these horses are such good breeding!! So sad! A friend of mine bought one of his mares- such a great deal!
I found out who has been gettign out of my fences! Yes, it was Duke! He gets down to the ground tries to inch underneath the last wood line! Gets stuck and of course Mom is going to come and help him out of being casted! What a goof. Well I try to help him, the mud is very bad there. I LOSE both of my boots and am stuck in the mud up to mid calf! Finally get him out of there and Duke looks at me as if to say, boy that was pretty cool! pretty proud of himself he was!! What a goof! Time to start teaching him tricks! But I think he knows them all!
I also got into a better mood later afternoon. A woman had 9 bales of hay to give me so I didnt have to go to my hay guy to get a couple of small bales until he can get out to my place today! Yes!
anyhow, off to get some grain and see about feeding my babies.