My Poor Fred

I take Fred to the vet for his health screening for the Delta Society Pet Partners program. What a great charitable reason for a vet visit, huh? Some of my bad weekend luck must have leaked over.

I get to the vet and stand in the entry hall. On the dog side is a pit bull leaping and jumping at the entry door. I keep Fred close and wait for the handler to get the dog under control. I am hoping that he takes the dog to a chair across the room, away from the door. Fred is 100 lbs. and long. They aren't leaving too much room between the door and the chair. I wait. They stay in their seat. It appears that the pit bull is under the handler's control. So I open the door and Fred and I enter.

Fred wants to sniff the dog's nose. I have him on a very short lead, but his body is so long, that all he has to do is get one step ahead of me (his shoulder in front of my leg) and turn his neck toward the other dog. That's what he does, and the other dog didn't like it. Fred's nose gets about 2 inches from the other dog's nose and it leaps out and bites Fred on the nose. Not only does it bite him, but it holds on. This dog has got Fred's nose in it's mouth, Fred is crying in pain, and the pit bull doesn't let go. Finally the handler gets the dog to release. I mean, this wasn't a quick bite and release warning. This dog grabbed and held on.

Fred is bleeding all over the lobby as we quickly move to the other side of the room. I look at Fred's nose and see the bleeding and scratches. I say, "oh no!" as the vet and vet techs come running. They move me into a waiting room immediately. As we go, I turn to look at the handler and I say (not angrily), "You know, you could have moved your dog to the other chair, away from the door, if your dog could be dog aggressive." The woman at the counter looks at me angrily and says, "That is MY dog, and she has never been aggressive to any other dog before!" I look at her and reply only, "Okay." Really thinking, Well now you have a dog aggressive dog on your hands. Good luck.

Fred didn't seemed too phased by the bite. I don't think he understands what happened to him. He was still happy with all the people and attention. He was in pain and kept wanting to be close to me, but he never seemed scared or aggressive himself. He's an amazing dog. I got a free exam because of the ordeal.

The other dog's owner had to stay for Animal Control to come to take a report. This dog now has a report filed on it, so I feel better. What I really hope is that the owner is more careful with who handles her dog and she is more aware of the dog aggressive tendencies that are bred into pit bulls. I hate it that it was a pit bull that bit Fred. I especially hate it because we own a pit mix and hate the reputation to be justified. We trust Stella, and yet we make sure we keep her out of any situation that could lead to bad things like dog aggression. Because you never know with the breeding. We don't even let Stella and Fred stay together during the day. They are separated unless we are with them. We don't know what Fred might do to piss her off and what she would do to him if she "lost it". That is being a responsible owner. I don't feel this woman at the vet's office was a responsible owner. My vet said that the dog will have to muzzled whenever it comes back to their office. I hope the woman now internalizes that she has a dog aggressive dog. Again, this dog bit and held on; it didn't do a warning nip or quick bite. That's being dog aggressive. Scary.

Fred's wounds are healing well. I'm not sure if he will have any scarring. The vet said there is a chance. Time will tell if he becomes more wary of other dogs around him. So far I haven't noticed any change in him.

Please, everyone, be responsible pet owners!

Just Call Me Chip

My first trailer "accident" happened Saturday, June 18. By the way, this was also my first full day of real ownership of Zoe. I officially bought her on June 17! I was loading up the baby to go to a clinic and she decided to act up -- would go willingly into the trailer and then back out just as fast. We worked on getting her to stay in the trailer once loaded. It took about 15 minutes of smacking her on the butt every time she thought she would shoot out the back. Finally she stayed quietly in the trailer.

Well, until I went to close the butt bar. Just at the moment I was about to hook the bar with the small metal exposed piece that slides into the lock, she stepped back. And of course the damn metal end of the butt bar hit me right in my left front tooth. Blew the corner of the tooth away. Thankfully it didn't hurt one bit. I never felt an impact or had any pain. It just made a clean hit, enough to explode the corner of the tooth into my mouth.

Zoe should thank her stars I didn't have a knife or gun in my other hand. She would be hamburger on the driveway. Instead, I calmly took her the rest of the way out of the trailer and put her in her stall. I was fuming inside. I called my husband to tell him what happened -- I hadn't even looked at the tooth yet. I really wanted to know if I had to go to an emergency room or if I could go on to the clinic and get dental attention on Monday. Since it wasn't that serious - no pain, no blood, most of the tooth still there - we decided I could wait. So I loaded up the horses and went on to the clinic.

Ends up that chipping a tooth was only the beginning of a bad day.

Warming up Jimmy for his lesson, he is fine. Wait 5 miuntes as I chat with the trainer, and when we start again he is limping. What the...!?! We decide it is better not to work him. So I am out $50 and a much needed lesson before next weekend's show.

I'm warming up Zoe on the longe with side reins. All is going well. She looks great. She picks up the canter and throws in a few bucks. And breaks the outside side rein. Damn. More $$ going out my pocket because of that horse!

At dinner that night we are having a good time. I've had 2 glasses of wine. After dessert I am standing at the counter talking. One hand gesture and I break an empty wine glass on the beautiful marble countertop. Damn.

I go to bed and hope that's the end of my bad luck.

Next day, horses load picture-perfect coming and going. That's the way it should have happened yesterday. Jimmy is fine for his lesson and we have a good ride. I still need to work on my simple change through the walk. He's a plow! Zoe is wonderful. She longes perfectly (in borrowed side reins). David rides her for the first time in canter. How beautiful! And she is so well-behaved and accepting! It was a good day.

Happy Anniversary

Tuesday, June 14th was our 2nd Wedding Anniversary. Unfortunately, I was totally overbooked and barely got to spend any time with my husband. That was awful and next year I will make sure to take our anniversary off so that I am sure to have time to spend with him! He even made a gorgeous, yummy dinner and then I was almost an hour late getting home, so he ate without me and my food was cold (it was still yummy!).

Needless to say, the anniversary wasn't that memorable, but the next day we spent 3 hours talking on Instant Messenger (maybe the reason I had to work until 8 PM that night!) and had great sex that night. And the next day. And the next...and....

I love my husband very much and would never want to live this life without him.

Happy Anniversary, My Love!

Tomorrow's the Big Day

It's been a slow week with the horses. I have been extra busy and also paid some attention to the dogs. I am excited about one accomplishment this week. Fred and I have been certified as Delta Pet Partners. I attended the handler training workshop on Saturday (8 AM to 5 PM!) and Fred was evaluated (and passed!) on Sunday. It was fun and now Fred and I can visit nursing homes, schools, hospitals, and other places a therapy dog may be beneficial. We get an official badge and dog tag, and we are covered by the Delta Society insurance.

The people in the workshop were all women, which is pretty typical. For the most part they were nice, but one in particular rubbed me a little the wrong way. It's hard to pinpoint why I felt that way. I guess I didn't really like the way she talked about her dog. Of course everyone wants to share stories about their beloved pet, but she just told strange stories. For instance, the dog loves small children but has some other behaviorial things that, to me, made it unreliable. I don't know if the dog passed the evaluation or not. I saw the dog waiting for the evaluation and it was a fluffy border collie mix. Supposedly it is a laid back dog, but breeding would suggest otherwise. Anyway, I shouldn't judge. I hope they were successful and they bring happiness to people's hearts when they visit.

So that was my weekend, meaning that there was no time for riding. I spent a lot of time at the barn cleaning the strange scrapes on Jimmy and Zoe's hocks. Luckily the scrapes are healing better now that they are being cleaned regularly. I was worried that it was some kind of fungus or something, but it appears to be just some similar scrapes they got from somewhere in their paddock. Scrubbing with Betadine and spraying with Blue-Kote seems to be doing the trick.

The other things that took my time away from the barn:

Monday
I took a vacation day on Monday and spent the entire day and evening cleaning the house. Really. And it's not that noticeably cleaner either. Argh. I'm trying to get the house in shape for when a friend comes to visit at the end of this month. I need more vacation time to prepare for vacation!

Tuesday
Tuesday I had to clean 4 stalls and feed the horses then go to the last agility class of the term with Fred. I couldn't miss that! Fred loves agility. When I got to the class I was sure I wouldn't take any dog classes for the rest of the summer. I took Fred to 2 classes this term and assisted a class. It was too much. It kept me from the barn on Mondays and Tuesdays. I'm trying to prepare for the shows and keep Zoe on her training schedule. The horses win out over the dogs in priority.....

Wednesday
I had to work late. Didn't leave the office until 8 PM. :-(

Thursday
Pilates until 6:30 PM. Then I got to ride Jimmy! After almost a week off, he still warmed up well and did everything nicely. I was worried about making him sore, so I didn't work him too hard. We have another clinic this weekend.

Friday
Pre-Clinic Cocktails. I'll drink instead of ride! But the BIG NEWS is that at lunch time on Friday, I will officially buy Zoe!

Oh, I also want to record that I had my second solo ride on Zoe last week! We only went off into the grass once. (that's an improvement) At first I was worried she was going to be difficult because when we walked along the edge of the arena by the grass she really wanted to eat it. I didn't let her eat and she was shaking her head and shaking her head. We kept on, and eventually she started concentrating on riding forward with me. She still feels like a drunken sailor underneath me, but she is so sensitive and floaty. It is a blast riding her. I'm looking forward to riding her in the clinic this weekend and cantering for the first time!

First Solo Ride

I rode Zoe Saturday without "supervision". I'm getting tired of waiting to have someone present so that I can ride the baby. I don't have the luxury of having someone around the barn when I am there. So finally I decided to take the risk.

Zoe is doing great on the longe line since I took the stirrups off. (See earlier post.) She still likes to canter the best and it takes some asking to get her to transition back down to a trot, but she is listening better and is more relaxed. I'm happpy with her improvements on the longe. So after longing her I climbed on. Steering is still lacking, so a few times she trotted right out of the arena onto the grass. We just turned right back to the arena. I rode her only for about 10 minutes at walk and trot. She really was an angel. I will probably ride her more often now.

I think I have the Second, One memorized now. Jimmy and I practiced it on Saturday. The only movement I forgot was the medium canter after the collected circle. I'm excited we'll have it down for June 25. Reading over First, Four now makes that test seem so easy! But my problem is losing my focus during the test and messing up that way. I am determined to have good rides on the 25th. Jimmy is ready for it!

A-C Serpentine three equal loops width of arena, no change of lead.

I got my entry ready to mail for the June 25th show. I am definitely riding Second Level, Test 1 even though my trainer said that is the most difficult test of the level. It's part of the Adult Amateur award program, so I have to try it. If I get high score on it at 3 shows this year, I qualify for National Champion. It's a small, small possibility, but it is fun to try for it anyway. I'd get a medal and a gift certificate at the show anyway. Wouldn't it be cool to get that? Better than a plastic curry comb.

Zoe is still doing great. She isn't rushing like a maniac anymore, but she does still have the habit of speeding up. I think she is getting over it. Thank god I didn't ruin her and it was just the banging stirrups. I finally broke down this weekend and bought Zoe a new bridle. The gawd-awful nylon thing she had was just soooo bad. I mean, I know I am going to buy her next month anyway. So now she has a Lemetex from Switzerland with flash noseband. It fits her well and she seems to like it just fine.

I haven't been able to ride Zoe since before the clinic. I am getting a bit anxious to be riding her more, so I am very near starting to ride her on my own. I don't think anything will happen, but with babies it is so unpredictable. I just haven't gotten the nerve up yet to risk riding solo the first few times. After that, I am sure it won't be a big deal at all. I guess if she is going to throw me or injure me, it should be before I buy her. Then I can always not buy her.... Well, I don't like that idea anyway.

Jimmy has been doing well, as usual. I am surprised how much we improve each time we ride. I ask him to do more and he does it. I learn something new, and he does it. Last night as I was leaving the barn I was wishing Jimmy would never get any older. I would be happy with life if we could have this working partnership for the rest of our lives. He brings me so much joy, confidence, and satisfaction. I owe this horse so much. So it is sad for me in a way to bring along this youngster as a "replacement" horse. It makes me go slow with her, which is probably to her benefit. I do hope she is another Jimmy and that this time because I know more, she and I will be able to go further than Jimmy was able to take me.

But what am I talking about? That sounds like past tense already when I refer to Jimmy. There is no telling yet how far Jimmy will take me, so I better not start writing him off yet.

In other news, I inadvertently blew off the dog agility class on Tuesday. I can't believe I thought this week's class was cancelled, when it is really next week's that is. I feel bad about it because Fred enjoys the class so much. I hate to make him miss something he loves to do. I didn't tell him my mistake, so maybe I get away with it this time. It just means we better practice the next two weeks.

I'm trying to decide how much dog training stuff I should do this summer. I really feel the horses pulling me away from the dog training. I'd like to take a break from the dog classes, but I'm supposed to teach one this fall, so I am afraid of being away for 3 months. I still have to decide.

Pilates last week was fun. It seems easy, but I think that start us out doing easy stuff. I think my core is pretty strong from riding and the other work I do, so they need to take it up a notch tonight. These semi-private lessons are expensive, so I do want to be sore the next day!

Signing out.........

Driving You Crazy With Stirrups

Another clinic weekend with David Blake. He came in the nick of time for me since for the past 2 weeks Zoe has been acting nutty on the longe line. She was hurrying around the circle and constantly popping into canter -- on the wrong lead -- and wouldn't slow down easily. It was driving me nuts and I was running out of things to do.

Consequently, it was a few weeks ago that I added stirrups to the saddle in which I longe her. Made sense since I was starting to ride her more. But you get the idea where this may be headed.

David longed her on Saturday, and she was displaying the same rushed behavior. He didn't have an explanation, though he was worried there may be something physically wrong, but no real indication what that might be. We didn't ride her on Saturday. On Sunday before the lesson I took the stirrups off the saddle because I was suspecting that they might be driving her nuts. Lo and behold, I longed her and she was perfect! She still tended to speed up, but she slowed down more readily and listened better.

I think the banging stirrups were driving her crazy. I told David I would give the credit of "fixing" her to him and not to simply removing the stirrups. But we all know what really happened. I haven't longed her since Sunday, so I will do that today or tomorrow to make sure the problem has really gone away.

Jimmy, on the other hand, was excellent as usual. I have so much fun riding him. We are working on our canter serpentines and simple changes. Next month I am riding second level for the first time. I hope I get qualifying scores! Basically, I better not make an error on the test. That tends to be how I lower my scores. Jimmy scores pretty well on his movements, so it does mostly come down to rider error.

I'd like to design a computer program for practicing dressage tests. Something that will let me control a horse figure around an arena in a test pattern, or will let me type in the movements in order, or let me draw each movement on an arena. That would be very helpful for me to memorize the major movements and sequences. If only I had more free time. Yeah, my free time has pretty much gone out the door since getting a second horse.

Oh yeah, I start Pilates lessons on Thursday with my husband and I am doing a Yoga Fitness class Tuesday evenings. Add that to my dog training club classes on Mondays and Tuesdays. No wonder my house is a mess. And I am supposed to run a half-marathon in January.

Zoe in April

This photo was taken of Zoe around April 24, 2005. She is just about to turn 3 years old.

Kentucky

I just returned from a great weekend in Kentucky. We went to the Rolex Kentucky 3-Day Event at the Kentucky Horse Park in Lexington. It was a bit rainy and on the cold side Friday and Saturday, but Sunday was sunny and the ground had dried considerably. It was a lot of fun this year. I spent my $500 budget on horse accessories and got things I needed. The horses were fantastic as well. There were quite a few eliminations by the end of the day Saturday, so the Sunday stadium jumping was shortened. It is still amazing that these horses are crazy enough to go over these huge jumps. I guess that's from the perspective of a dressage rider.

Sunday evening we went to stay with my friend who just moved to Kentucky about a month ago. She has a great house in a great town about an hour from Lexington. I was really impressed with the area. Her horse is boarded at an old saddlebred barn, which is interesting. The barn has an indoor riding track that goes around the stalls. One end is big enough for a 20 meter circle and the long sides are sufficient for doing shoulder-ins and leg yields. The wider long end can accomodate zigzag leg yields. It's a good situation for her. She moved from a barn that had no indoor riding facilities at all and she did trail riding exclusively. She's finding it a bit frustrating to be in a place where her horse has to be willing to bend. I think Ellie forgot she could bend. I gave my friend a dressage lesson and rode her horse a bit. Ellie is not used to having contact with the bit, so she will have to get used to accepting the bit and being soft in the mouth. MG certainly has her work cut out for her. Hopefully I will be able to come down once a month this summer to help her along. Plus, it is a great place to visit.

Last night I finally got to ride my main horse. He is so great. He came up to me in the pasture and looked happy to see me. It was a nice feeling. The baby, however, tried to stay just out of my reach the whole time. She was afraid I was going to put her away. I was only interested in riding Jimmy. We had a great ride, but he did seem a little stiff to the left. I am worried that he is developing arthritis in the left hock. Something to keep my eye on. If I can ride him every day or every other day, he stays flexible. It's these times when he is on rest for a week that he comes back stiff. Well, the weather is supposed to be gorgeous through the weekend, so we will get plenty of riding in!

Barnsitting

Barnsitting, like housesitting, but with a lot more work involved. My good friend has gone to the Dressage World Cup Finals in Las Vegas and I stayed home to take care of the horses. Boy, I wish I were in Vegas. They have VIP seats -- 2 rows back from E with free drinks and eats. The best riders in the world eating with them, at the hotel pool with them, and on the streets with them. Wow. I am more jealous than I thought I would be. It is really inspiring to watch these riders and horses. Plus, Las Vegas weather has got to be better than what is happening in the midwest right now.

But I must say that I do love taking care of the horses and barn. It's about the only time I can get out of bed by 6 AM without a problem. I even jog around the yard a bit while I'm feeding. And although my sleep pattern is totally out of whack, I still feel good during the day. Yesterday I had to spend 4 hours at home to take a nap in the morning because I was so behind in sleep, but that's just because I haven't been getting to sleep until 11:30 PM and my dog woke me up several times every night because he was nervous about sleeping at a strange place. He may be a 100 lb. dog, but he is still a big sissy. He loves to be around the horses, though. He is so happy in the mornings to go out and feed with me. He jumps and struts and smiles and plays with everything. It is a great way to start the day.

I look forward to the day we finally have our small farmstead on our 18 acres. Getting up for horses is the best way to get out of bed.

Clinic

Even better! I had a GREAT ride on Jimmy. I'm learning more and more and Jimmy responds to me so well. I can't wait to compete this summer.

Zoe was SUPER!! Her trot floats you along, even as a young, unbalanced, barely backed 3 year old. She was calm and willing the whole time. I tell you, she is going to be a great horse. I hope I can buy her in June. I'm planning on it. I'll try to get some video up here in the next month.

Riding the Young Horse

A wonderful experience yesterday! I rode Zoe for the first time on the lunge. She was an angel. She cared more about trying to rub her face on my friend's shoulder than about me being on her back. The last time I was on her, my friend just walked us around for a few minutes. This time I was out on the lunge and we trotted. It felt much more like a real ride! The fact that she didn't act up, didn't stop, didn't spook and was just calm and collected (though very baby-wobbly) is a good sign! I'm very excited about her.

Not to ignore my main horse, Jimmy.... He's been going very well and I am pleased with our progress. I will start out riding First Level Test 4 and do Second Level Test 1 at our first show out this season, which will probably be in June. If I score well enough on First 1, then I am into Level 2 for sure! I'll have the scores I need in First to qualify for my bronze medal. I'll just need to get two scores over 60% in Second level, and then I am on to third! It's amazing to think about, considering it took me 2 years to get through Training level. By the way, his sinus infection is totally cleared up and he will be off the antibiotics on Sunday. That's good news.

Needless to say, a ton of my time is spent with the horses. My husband isn't that thrilled about that, but he is so supportive and likes to see the progress, too. He is really the most wonderful man I could have married.

Next week the Dog Training Club classes begin again. I'm taking Fred to Agility 1 and Rally-O Intermediate. And I am assisting a Puppy Kindergarten class. That's 2 nights a week that I won't be able to do much with the horses. Mondays I won't even be able to go to the barn. I have until 7:30 PM on Tuesdays to go to the barn and take care of things. It's going to be a challenge with the weather turning so nice! I'll have to take vacation time on Tuesdays so I can leave work early! Whoohoo!

Stinky Snot!

This weekend my horse developed a sinus infection indicated by some rancid smelling nasal discharge from his right nostril. It is quite disgusting. The good news is that it is not infectious to other horses. Bad news is that it could be a long process to rid him of the infection. He is already started on a course of antibiotics and got a shot of penicillin and an IV of antibiotics to start his treatment. !0 more days of giving him 24 pills a day, and hopefully he is better. After reading about equine sinus infections online I worry that he could be on antibiotics for months and end up having surgery to put a drain in for flushing his sinus. Sounds expensive, doesn't it? Check out this article from HorseCity.com, "Clinical signs, diagnosis and treatment of Sinusitis explained" at http://www.horsecity.com/stories/120400/hea_sinisitis_ML.shtml. It even has a picture of what his nose looks like.

Digging Deeper

The new horse. I am about an inch from being a certified crazy horseperson. Yes, that means I have a trial ownership of a three-year old Oldenburg filly. She's a fantastic mover, but her disposition makes her a difficult horse to work with. All of the professional trainers that I have taken her to so far have said she is going to take a lot of time and effort and will be a challenge. Shouldn't that be enough to make you walk away??? Perhaps, but since I am so close to being a certified crazy horseperson those warnings make me want to prove what a great horseperson I really am. I can be the one to make her into that really super dressage horse and everyone will be impressed with my ability to handle and train challenging horses. Well, that's the fantasy anyway. The reality may be more of a frustrating road than I am willing to dream of right now. Anyway, I don't own her yet, so I can still have a fantasy. I'll post pictures and a video clip as soon as I have some.

Everyone Needs Another Horse

I have a chance to buy an untrained 3 year old. I love the way this horse moves and she gets along great with the horse I have now. I've been working with her for about a month. It's not the best time for me to buy a second horse, but as the title points out, everyone needs another horse. I started out very neutral about the horse. I'm worried about the money it will cost to keep her, in addition to the purchase price. On the other hand, she would be a great horse to replace my aging gelding, who turns 19 in March. I would be responsible for her training. That takes a lot of time and patience, not just a lot of money. And I am not ready to retire Jimmy yet.

On top of all of this, my husband and I are about to close on 17.83 acres in a few weeks, so we are putting out a ton of cash for that. I don't really have the cash around to buy this new horse, but I am sure I could scrape it together. It's being able to scrape together the monthly costs that is a bit of a concern. I know it can be done, but do I want to do that? Will my husband silently be mad at me for putting our money to another horse? Silently? Probably not. I did already tell the owner that I didn't think I could afford to buy her. I offered her a lowish price -- she didn't say no, but she didn't accept it either. So I am still working with the horse until March. And I feel myself coming a bit attached to her, and that scares me. I like the idea of owning her. I like the idea of competing with her. I think she would be a great horse. Can she be MY great horse??

A Picture's Worth A Million Words

Hopefully the final post on the infamous pet portrait saga. Finally the substitute photographer called me back. I only had to leave a million voicemails and be as sweet-sounding as I could be to convince her I wasn't out to sue her. Once she called -- leaving a message on my home phone at an hour that I likely wouldn't be available to answer -- she was apologetic and confessed she wanted to do anything to please us. She'd give us another sitting for free. All we wanted was some reprints of another shot that was at least frameable and giftable and to get on with our lives. We weren't about to go for another sitting. No way. We didn't want to do any other business with this person. So now we are waiting the 6 or whatever weeks it takes for her to get reprints done. Supposedly it will be mailed directly to our home. I'm not totally confident that we'll get what we think we will, but all I can do is wait.

Welcome ESLPLANET.COM users

This site is now the destination for eslplanet.com. As a budget measure, we are consolidating sites for better use of our resources.

Portrait Saga Continues

A short update on this saga with the pet portraits. Still after calling almost daily, the photographer has not returned any calls. I talked to a live person once. He said she tried to call me back on Christmas Eve. Who in their right mind would make a business call on Christmas Eve? Furthermore, none of my caller ids on any of my phones indicated a call on Christmas Eve. So now we have a "professional" photographer avoiding a customer and outright lying. This does not bode well for what the final resolution will be here. I get angrier and angrier each day I have to leave another message. I try to be nicer and nicer sounding in my messages so she does not think I will rip her a new one when she finally does call. I just want new prints! Arrgh!

The only positive thing that came out of this was contact with the REAL photographer, who IS a professional, and who has gone out of our way to make up for the circumstances. So on one hand I can still believe that there are decent professionals in the world.

I think my next step will be to complain to the pet store that sponsored the portrait taking. They should be taking more responsibility with this. I shouldn't have to be dealing with this!

New Year

It's the new year! Whoohoo! We've had unbelievable weather since Christmas. It has been 60 degrees Fahrenheit like every day. This is bazarre when you consider the previous week was -15 with windchill, and we should be getting snow on the ground and having ice storms. Why is the weather so messed up??

It has been a great holiday this year. I got 10 days off work, my sister is here from The Netherlands, and it has been all fun times. My in-laws gifted us with a whopping sum of money to help us with the down payment on our 18 acres. I started crying right there. They are such great people. We close on the property in March. In the next weeks we will lock in our interest rate. I hope it is still low.

So, in March we will be farmers. Well, we won't actually be farming, but we will have a real farmer farm for us. Let's hope soybeans do well this year! That will help finance our seeding for pasture and hopefully pay the taxes on the land. In five years we may be able to start building our dream house and barn!

Language Map

Now this is a cool treasure I found on one of my favorite blogs, Pedablogue. Detailed language maps from the Modern Language Association (MLA). As an avid foreign language learner and a former ESL teacher, I thought this was fascinating. Check out the map: http://www.mla.org/resources/census_main
Check out the post I stole this from: http://blogs.setonhill.edu/mt/mt-tb.cgi/1105

Portrait Update

I have some good news on this front. Well, it is partially good news. I sent an email to the photographer that was supposed to take the pet portraits letting her know I was mad at the pet shop and the replacement photographer for not being forthright in telling us the photographer had changed. She emailed back offering a free sitting for us! That was really unexpected and generous on her side. We will definitely take advantage of that offer.

The bad news comes from trying to contact the photographer that took the photos. I left a message with her yesterday, but of course I have not heard anything back from her. I really don't expect to hear anything. Since she wasn't the most professional photography in her style, I don't have expectations that she will handle our dissatisfaction professionally. It's a pain in the butt.

Finding the photographer

I tried calling the replacement photographer again today. This time I at least got an answering machine. I left a message and just when I was about to leave my phone number the recording ends Beeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeep! For a moment I thought someone must have ended it on purpose, I mean it was a complaint so if you can keep them from leaving a phone number you can avoid them. I called back and left my numbers. I will call every day until I hear back from her. It still pisses me off that the dog looks like an evil freak in the picture. If she couldn't fix the red-eye then why did she say she would?!? Argh.

svenmusic.com

A great site with cool art, cool music, and cool things you can buy: http://www.svenmusic.com.

My favorite song on the site is "In this moment I drift". Download it at http://svenmusic.com/haadve.mp3. I love it that you can also buy dog t-shirts, a clock, a mug, etc with the artist's work or signature. Visit now!

Pet Portraits

We were bamboozled by a local pet shop that advertised pet portraits with a well-known, experienced photographer. We of course signed up, showed up, and paid our money. Turns out they replaced the photographer with an inexperienced one at the last moment and didn't bother to tell any clients. It explains the sub-par quality photos we got in return. The only way I found out about the swindle was by calling the original photographer to complain. She filled me in and I contacted the pet shop who only said, "Sorry for the miscommunication, " and gave me a phone number for the replacement photographer. I called the replacement photographer, and what do you know, the number had a voicemail that wasn't set up and you couldn't leave a message. I have a feeling we are out our 2 clams. I hate that we put our trust into businesses and professionals and they let us down. We should have known better and simply walked away without ordering prints we weren't pleased with. But, damn, the photographer said she would fix the red-eye in one of the photos and we get them back to find that the dog looks like a freak! Evil! I wouldn't frame those photos for anything. On the other photos, the lighting was weird, washing us out on one side, and the angles were just not the best choice. She took a lot of them from the top of a ladder. Whatever. Not my taste. So now I am trying to get a hold of the allusive replacement photographer to get our money back. I wonder how successful that will be.

Lili

This place needs a photo, and this is one of the cutest I have on my machine right now. Lilikoi as a day-old foal.

Forever and a Day

It has been forever since we posted something. I would think I could post more than once a year!

Our most recent activity has been painting our basement family room orange. It actually looks great, and with some key furniture and accessories from IKEA, we are looking pretty cool. My sister is coming home for Christmas (she lives in The Netherlands with her husband), so we are trying to make the guest bedroom down there look cool so she wants to stay with us.

Lame Effort to Bring In Technology

We found an interesting Blog that talks about educational technologies today. Visit cogdogblog!

Welcome to the new Techspecialists.