Horses & Other Interests
Galloping
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Yogmantra Bali
April 2023
🦋 Photos by Kelly Mellon. Watermarks & borders added by VBB.
🦋 Kelly’s Newsletter, Substack: Traveling Butterfly
🦋 Previous Kelly post [Between The Ears, Camel View, Guest Photos]
Full disclosure. Family member. I have joined her Substack community.
Onwards!
Katherine
Awareness of the outside world. Alabama News Center: Our Town: The wonders of Wetumpka, Alabama’s River Region respite, Chandler, photos by Meg McKinney, 2017.
~~~
January.
“Lately, whenever I make plans to spend more time at Stepping Stone, shit goes down in my life.” [Other Horses, Whither Saddle Seat Wednesdays, Or How Wednesday Became Thursday]
Ha. Ha. Let’s make dramatically dire statements in pursuit of an amusing blog post. In the post, I recognized that correlation is not causation. A perceived connection is an artifact of pattern seeking.
Then.
April.
I finally set up a lesson. [Lesson Scheduled, and Thoughts Thereon]
We end up back at the vet clinic. [Poop Watch]
I never did get a lesson. (Milton is fine, btw.)
I want to believe we live in a rational universe.
The universe is making not making it easy.
Onwards!
Katherine
Remember a few weeks ago, when I misread an email? [Stall Rest Chronicles 10 April, On Being Bleary]
It worked out. I was just a bit annoyed with myself.
Ha!
I ended up having to cancel the interview with that person. It was scheduled for the afternoon of the day we took Milton to the clinic. Even if we got back in time, I figured my brain would be sludge. [Poop Watch]
Again I say, Ha!
I wasn’t as worried as I would have been if the interview hadn’t been for an equine magazine. I figured a horse person would understand.
Milton came home. We all got some rest.
Over the weekend, I went over the information to date, took the horses for walks, started a rough draft, got some sleep, made notes for the interview on Monday.
On Monday morning, I rereaded everything. My rough draft, my notes for the interview, the emails. I doublechecked the phone number.
Five minutes to go. Recorder plugged in and tested. Paper and pen to hand. Called up a website with a clock. Watched the numbers flick to exactly 1:00:00. Dial.
No answer.
That’s odd. Person has been prompt all along. Left message saying I would try again in 5 minutes. It happens.
Dial. Interview. Went okay. I felt a little stupid here and there. Had a good list of questions. Person was charming and informative. Got information I needed. We said goodbye.
Sigh of relief. Back on track.
Now that’s out of the way, I can make my To Do list for the week. What’s this. Oh, yeah, my reminder note, INTERVIEW 1:30.
1:30?
1:30!?!
You have got to be kidding me.
Remember when I doublechecked the phone number? I always send a confirmation email with day, date, time, secondary time if time zones are involved, & phone number. The phone number was right under where it said 1:30 CST.
Actually it should have been CDT, but that’s a minor issue at this point.
Being half an hour early may seem like a small thing, but I find it screamingly unprofessional. I have no idea what their day is like. I have no idea what they had to arrange to make a specific time.
Screamingly unprofessional. Also, screamingly not me. Or, I would have said not me.
How could I miss so badly? I was deeply, utterly, truly convinced that the interview was at 1.
Strike 3.
Fortunately, it’s not baseball.
Sent email to explain my sorry self. Actually, I said I was sorry and that I had no explanation. Seems like all I do is apologize to this poor soul.
My brain is one of the few things I trust. Now I have have to write up the article while I wonder what other stitches I am dropping.
At least I have the editor to make sure that the final text sounds good.
Onwards!
Katherine
Awareness of the outside world. No one is talking about Covid much these days. I for one, plan to mask in airports & on airplanes forever. So many people. So close. So many germs. Outside with people at a moderate distance – a common situation – I do not. Everything in between is a question.
~~~
Virtual Tevis
100 Miles in 100 Days
19 April to 30 July 2023
Rodney – 10.04 miles
Milton – 7.45 miles
Wed 19 April to Mon 24 April
All mileage handwalk in halters.
Due to current fitness levels, going on multiple short walks each day.
Rodney went out all six days. Milton sat out the first day. [Poop Watch]
Rodney continued to pull ahead on several walks, doing my daily mile while Milton took breaks.
Counting Every Step
In the past, I have been cavalier about mileage, often rounding down to err on the side of being conservative. This year, hundredths of a mile are going to matter.
If Rodney is wearing halter and we are walking, I count it. This includes leading him in from the pasture. It’s legit. We come in, I pick his feet etc., then we turn around and walk the exact same path back and forth for VT.
I carry my phone and run the GPS each time. For example, we do .57 mile. Instead of ‘this route is approximately half a mile’.
Explanation The Tevis Cup: Virtual Tevis Cup 2023
Previous Post [Team Snail Hits The Trail, Virtual Tevis 2023 Begins]
Virtual Tevis Posts [Archives]
Onwards!
Katherine
Awareness of the outside world. The Robot Report: Ingenuity helicopter completes 50th flight on Mars, Wessling, April 18, 2023.
~~~
Milton spent last Wednesday night at the vet clinic. He’s fine. He was probably fine when he stepped off the trailer at the clinic.
Timeline
Tuesday evening. Looked punk. Refused cookie from me. Took cookie from his minion. Vet consult. Banamine shot. Stood quietly while we stripped the stall. After a while, perked up! So, something had been bothering him enough to be affect by the Banamine.
Poop watch. 5pm. Recent pile in run-in area. Given the location, probably Milton.
Into the stall you go, my lad. Every leftover twig of hay had been removed. He was! not! pleased!
Poop watch. Nothing.
Poop watch. Nothing.
Poop watch. 11 pm. Poop!
Poop watch. Overnight. Checked every few hours. Poop on alternate viewings.
Hard to see, as it was ground into the shavings by Milton’s moving hooves. Definitely stomping about looking for food rather than pacing in distress.
Milton was napping several times. Again, looked content rather than thrashing about. Since Rodney was also meatloafing, we weren’t worried.
Poop watch. Morning. Happy to see it. Looked good from a distance. When I went to pick it up, it seemed small, both in total volume and size of bolus.
Per vet orders, gave a small amount of hay & turned everyone out. Contented grazing.
Later, Milton was back in the barn, lying down. Rodney out grazing. This was unusual, but a long night was had by all.
More later. Minion checked as he headed off to work. Milton was laying down again.
Enough of this. Time for an expert opinion.
The fastest way to get him seen was take him to the vet, instead of waiting for the vet to have time to come to him. Then, if we had a problem, there would be lots of resources at hand.
Poop watch. Getting on the trailer. Standard, especially if he hasn’t shipped in a while.
Poop watch. Arrived at clinic. Open door. Second pile. A big, solid poop. The kind you want to see.
Clean exam. Vet found nothing. Possibly had an mass or slowdown in the large intestine. If I followed the anatomy lesson correctly, the large intestine is easier to clear than the small intestine.
Kept overnight for observation.
When we left him at the clinic just over four months ago, we woke up to surgery. So, some tension chez nous overnight. [When The Poop Emoji Is Your Favorite, Patient Report #1]
All fine. Brought him home on Thursday.
Well, the horse was fine. The people, not so much. The vet clinic is nice enough to let folks leave trailers. When we drove off in the truck, the lights were still connected. Thursday morning was spent installing a new plug.
So, does trailering help a colic? The American Association of Equine Practitioners thinks so. “A trailer ride also jiggles the bowel to achieve similar relief for a simple colic.” AAEP: Colic: Updates and Prevention.
Are we obsessed with horse poop? I prefer to think of it as an appropriate attention to the details of equine health.
đź’©
Onwards!
Katherine
Awareness of the outside world. earthday.org: Learning Through Art.
~~~
Keep the holiday spirit after the holidays.
Keep the environmental spirit after Earth Day.
Onwards!
Katherine
Writer: Hello, Muse.
Muse: Hello.
Writer:
Muse: Stuck again?
Writer: Trying to think of a holiday movie plot.
Muse: Sounds familiar.
Writer: Yeah. We’ve done Christmas and Thanksgiving. [Creating A New Classic, Cooking Up Another Holiday Movie]
Muse: You have quite a sub-specialty going there.
Writer: Not all winners. They didn’t like the City Christmas movie. [Country Boy in The City, Plot for a Reverse Holiday Movie]
Muse: Why not, that was fun.
Writer: I know, it’s my favorite. They said it conflicted with the brand.
Muse: I would think variety would be good.
Writer: Variety is one thing. They didn’t like the second-order snark.
Muse: Second order snark?
Writer: Yeah. The plot itself was straightforward but they felt it impugned the standard small town movie model.
Muse: Well, you did cast shade intentionally.
Writer: Fair point.
Writer: They did like the New Years Day idea. The idea of a new category of movies. I got a bonus from that. [A Marketing Proposal for New Holiday Movies]
Muse: So, do they want a new category or a new movie?
Writer: They’ve love a new category, of course, but I think they’ll be happy with one movie for a holiday we don’t usually cover. They figured if I could do it with New Years day, I could do something with making Earth Day into a movie. I mean, we could do something. I don’t mean to deprive you of credit. You’ve been …
Muse: That’s nice and all, but you are avoiding the topic. What have you got so far?
Writer: Nothing. Everything has been said. Earth is alive. Earth is angry. Earth is taking revenge on puny humans for their lack of foresight.
Muse: What do you want the movie to say?
Writer: Sit back, relax. Spend money with our advertisers. Tell your friends so that the viewing numbers go up and I get another bonus.
Muse: I don’t think mercenary self-interest captures the spirit of Earth Day. I know you have some ideas, even if you don’t like them.
Writer: I guess a romance with a meetcute during litter pickup. Or drama with a dead body found during clean up. It’s all so blah.
Muse: What if the main character is against Earth Day?
Writer: Scrooge. Do the three ghosts. Past, present, and future would certainly film well. It could work. Could even lead to a whole three-ghost theme for each holiday. I dunno, I’m not feeling it. Grumpy Industrialist as Evil Villain feels flat. I keep picturing the guy in the monocle from Monopoly. Even thought it’s not true.
Did you know that Rich Uncle Penny Bags didn’t wear a monocle? “Some people believe that we imagine a monocle because most pictures of men with a mustache and a top hat do also include this accessory. Our brain expects a monocle, so we’re convinced that we’ve seen one.” Or possibly overspray from Mr. Peanut. Monopoly Land: The Monopoly Man Has NO Monocle – It’s The Mandela Effect, Jenni 2022
Muse: Focus. Don’t make me disconnect your Internet.
Writer: No. It’s for research. I’ll be good. I promise.
Muse: Who else would be against Earth Day?
Writer: Hmm. Someone who used to be really big in the environmental movement? Someone who got discouraged? Thinks it’s a waste of time? Past would be his – her? their? – former self. Present would be what friends are still doing. Future would be tricky. Don’t want to go dire. I mean we could have the world fall apart without them but that’s too simplistic …
(sounds of rapid keyboard clicking)
… future, not dire, but world slight worse without them, and rotting gradually. You are not the only answer but you are part of the answer.
(more keyboard clicking)
Their crime is hopelessness, which is understandable. Futility. Disillusionment. Movie message – keep the faith, work when efforts seem futile, light the small candle … it’s only X. Okay, so do X …
(metaphoric smoke starts to emanate from keyboard)
Muse: My work here is done.
~~~ curtain ~~~
Afterword
Free Fiction For You. Metaphorosis: All The Daughter Sing, by Jan Priddy, 3 March 2023, text & spoken. Full disclosure. I did not read this due the likelihood of thought-provoking ideas. My brain is currently subsisting on the reading equivalent of ginger ale and plain rice. Verdict from my beta reader (waves hi & thank you). Well-written. A delightful story, with the caveat that it is post-apocalyptic. The author talks about the story, Imperfect Patience: ALL THE DAUGHTERSÂ SING.
One more movie plot post that I didn’t manage to work into the above, [Notes For A Holiday Movie, Friendmas]
Onwards!
Katherine
Virtual Brush Box 