They Really Ought To Warn Folks...

About the COFFEE offered in hospital waiting rooms. Oh no- not the "Caution! Hot Beverage!" warnings.. noooo, I'm talking about the, "CAUTION! Could Peel Paint Off Battleships!" warning.

Yowza.


Dear Husband is home, surgery went fine, and with any luck at all life will return to a less stressful level that is somewhat... dare I say it? Will we Jinx it? .... "Normal".


Yeah. I just *know* things have been jinxed. Ah well.. but at least with this mystery SOLVED and out of the way, MAYBE this blog stands a chance at getting back to HORSES again. Speaking of horses, Sonny is sure mad at me. His beautiful red nose is WAY out of joint, as he insists I have been devoting entirely too much time to his Father, and not His Royal Highness. Which tells me that I am in trouble the next time we attempt a ride. B-I-G T-R-O-U-B-L-E.

Thanks again for all your well wishes, prayers, thoughts, jokes, and encouragement over the past two months. It's been a mighty hard two months, not to mention LONG, and everyone in The Asylum is looking forward to the return of our usual chaos.

Amen.
~MM

Surgery Tomorrow

Just a quick note- the night mare with Dear Husband's health has continued, leaving us emotionally, physically, and every other way drained/ exhausted/ and beyond the point of stressed.

But I have good news.

Thanks to persistence and answered prayers, Dear Husband is having surgery tomorrow morning. His gall bladder will be removed, and the pancreas will be checked closely while the surgeon is in there.

Can't thank you all enough for the thoughts and prayers, notes and phone calls. Will shoot a quick line tomorrow, once Dear Husband is awake and out of surgery.

More soon- now go kiss some horses and have an amazing blessed day!
~MM

"Back" In Action

With everything that has taken place the past two months, our equine clients have had to be re-scheduled and re-scheduled, and re-scheduled yet again.

Which I hate to do. As does Dear Husband.

So, I got to thinking. (I know, I know-- that is with out fail a dangerous past time for me.)

Back when I did my apprenticeship, I was able to try out and use a Really Cool Tool, called the BackJack. My lower back injury happened about 5-ish years before my interest in hoofcare developed into a serious job. Learning the business was sheer H*ll on my back and knees. There were times when I literally could NOT get back into the truck to come home.

Time passed, I grew stronger, concentrated on core strength, and I drove on. In 2004 it was possible for me to 10+ horses a day, four to five days a week.

Then, the unthinkable happened. I had kids. Two of them. B-I-G Kids. And I got older. Way older. I'm about *__* far from turning 40. Which in and of itself is not a big deal, aside from getting back into shape to go out and trim horses again is Utterly. Miserable.

And painful. Way. Painful.
Inspiration, motivation, desperation led me to a web search for "BackJack Horseshoeing Tool". It was still in production, and there was a phone number! The heck with email-- I'm CALLING this man!

I did leave a voice mail, and my call was returned last night. (Star One! A company that RETURNS PHONE CALLS!) I asked, "Have you had any returns?" hoping, to get one at a slightly lower cost (not that they aren't affordable by any means.) The polite southern voice on the other end of the line replied with pride, "Ma'am, I've never had a return." (Star TWO- DURABILITY)

I briefly explained my situation, of returning to hoof care after an extended stretch of time off, coupled with a back injury in the past. A BackJack is going to make all the difference in the world for my ability to do the job, and still be "sound" enough at the end of the day to take care of my boys, my husband, house, and horse.


When I have used this wonderful tool in the past, my tush felt a little weird after sitting on the bicycle seat all day, but you know what? I can deal with that MUCH BETTER than pain rocketing down my legs and a fire in my lower back. That would last for literally, days.

Yes, it looks odd. The seat is mounted on a spring loaded pole, so that should the horse you are working on wiggle and misbehave by pulling, jerking, twisting, or trying to sit on you, the shock is absorbed into the spring system, saving your back and legs. That same spring function will also allow for quick movement AWAY from trouble. I think I used it on 40 or 50 head during my apprenticeship- not all of them were well trained polite equine citizens either. Once I learned how to use that spring to my advantage, I was in, did the job, and got out of the way in a jiffy.

Front legs, hind legs, tall horses, and small- it was a fantastic tool.

And I can not WAIT to have one back under MY back, saving me from lectures from my chiropractor, severe pain, and avoiding the use of massive amounts of pain killers.

If you work with hooves for a living, Get. One. Tell the company owner (a cool guy,) that you saw the review here on Oh HorseFeathers!, and he will take good care of you. (Course, from what I understand, he'll take good care of his customers anyways. Star THREE: TRUE CUSTOMER SERVICE!)

The BackJack Horseshoe Support Tool

P.O. Box 524

Eloy, Arizona 85231

Phone/Fax: (520) 466-0490

Email: sales@thebackjack.com


***This is NOT a Paid Endorsement!
Simply MY way of passing along valuable information to those of us
not getting any younger!**

Not Horse Related- Dear Husband Update

The 20th came, and now it is gone.

We are no closer to an answer than we were on the 19th.

Why not?

Because the doctor is an asshole.

One of his nurses is as well.

Dear Husband arrived early, in order to ensure all the paperwork was done.
The woman at the desk took a look at his shirt, (which said "What's in your holster" on the front, and "What part of Shall Not Be Infringed" on the back. No pictures of guns. Not "gang attire". No lewd suggestions or images of any kind. Merely words.)

So That Woman snapped at him, "Your Shirt Is Not Appropriate."
ETA; The Shirt Issue. Know what? We have a Right To Freedom of Expression, granted to us via the United States Constitution. I full well understand that it applies to EVERYONE, not just "people who think like we do". Know what ELSE? We also know that there is nothing in there that says you have the right to NOT be offended. Nor is there anything that dictates how one must respond or behave if you *gasp* should BE offended. It's not like it was my WalMart shirt, which loudly proclaims "You Cross The Line, Your Ass Is Mine". It did not say anything on it, other than to show my husband supports the Second Amendment.

What do WE do if someone shows up in attire that is, for example, BAN ALL GUNS? We are POLITE. If it is a business, we do not patronize that business. If it is a client, we say nothing, and DO OUR JOB.

Too bad other people out in the world can't comprehend that simple idea.


And yes, it pissed me off. And yes, it is my RIGHT to be pissed off. And yes, it is our RIGHT to NOT go back to that Doctor- not because of his idiot nurse---- but because of the "treatment" by the doctor himself.

WTH? Is she the Fashion Police?

He takes care of the details. Waits (which was expected.)

Is ushered into a room.
The doctor walks in, glances at file, throws a box of meds at Dear Husband and says the following:
"I need a HIDA scan. Take those to cut the stomach acid. Tylenol for the pain."
And walked out.
No questions, no exam, NOTHING.
Two minutes and thirty one seconds.

That is it in a nutshell. At least the doctor from the last ER visit might have a lead- he suspects Gastrobaritosis. Which is an autoimmune disorder. Which causes the pancreas to attack the rest of the body. One tenth of one percent of the population is ever diagnosed with it. Which means there isn't a whole lot of information available out there. Treatment is steroids, anti-spasmodics, pain medication, and when an attack hits, lay down and rest. The thought behind laying down is an attempt to reset the pancreas, and stop the war.

So far, Dear Husband has laid down for two pain episodes, and got up an hour or so later actually feeling better.

But the pain keeps coming back. His blood sugar levels spike up to 200 or better before each attack. And the pain is coming more frequently now, and never really goes away totally.



If I'm quiet on the blogs, please forgive me. This entire situation has us both stressed and frustrated beyond belief. Until we can get some answers, and sort things out better, I may be a bit absent.

I'll keep you posted as we go along folks. Thank you for the emails, calls, and support- it helps to know how many folks out there are thinking of him, and saying prayers for all of us.

Meantime, go hug your horses, and spend some extra time with the people you love.
~MM

Sonny's Sunday

Started with Sonny's FRIDAY. He was pulled out for a bit of a touch up trim in front, and he was his usual self. Which is to say, a big red pain in my arse.

For which he had to go out, and have the wrong thing (trying to toss me around,) hard, and the right thing (holding himself still politely for hoof care,) easy.

Took a while, but he got the point.

After which, I held him to mow the lawn a bit.

All well and good, right?
Meanwhile... back at The Asylum...

DAT, seen above post spay, had an adventure.

We learned several things.
A) Cub is sneaky
B) Cub sneaking away to the house, alone, is Not That Great
C) DAT does NOT work as a toilet brush.

See... Dear Husband was mowing and doing yard work.
Granny was cleaning Boudreaux the Bloodhound's pen, with Cub's help.
Cub got bored, and teleported himself home.
Dear Husband thought Cub with still with Granny, and Granny thought Cub had gone to mow with his Daddy.

Not so.

Dear Husband came home, in the house, and heard a weird noise.... and went into the potty to see Cub trying to stuff DAT into the potty for a swirly.

Yeah.

Oh- where was I? I'm getting there-- keep yer knickers on...
Ah yes. The Cat Under The Porch. She is still here. Cranky old lady cat she is, but she seems to be content to hang out, get attention when we are outside, and practice giving The Hairy Eyeball to all other critters that happen to cross her path. Are you *sure* no one wants an extra cat??



Right-- so where was I while DAT was getting a swirly?

I had to run to the feed store for Sonny food, then the grocery store for people food, then back home to put the cold things away, and then back in the opposite direction to get Banamine for Sonny. Why did Sonny need Banamine? Because the royal red pain in my a$$ decided that yesterday was the perfect day for his annual Spring belly ache.

It was mild, but I am worried to a point- an actual cause of this has yet to be identified, and having something like this left unidentified just *bothers* me quite a bit.

Fricken horse.
So far this morning though, he is fine. Hollering for food, ticked because he has not been yet taken out on his lawn for mowing duty, with that bright sparkle back in his eye that only means one thing: Trouble.

One of these years, we'll get it sorted out. I hope. Maybe. (But I'm not holding my breath.)

I am now off to get another load of hay for His Royal Pain In My A$$, and to cope with whatever else the day should happen to toss our way.

Happy Hoofin to the rest of you....
~MM

Dear Husband Update:
We are waiting, tensely, for his appointment with a gastroenterologist on Tuesday. For the most part, hsi blood sugar levels have been steady- and with in normal limits. However, once they spike, he is in for a rough time. And each round of pain is getting worse and worse. It's been a long, long six weeks, five different doctors, and no answers. So not only do we have an idiopathic horse, Dear Husband has an idiopathic gut. Huh. I wonder if Sonny's idiopathic gut, and Dear Husband's idiopathic gut have any connection... probably not. Probably all in the timing.

I Love Email

When things like this show up in my inbox, I am just tickled beyond belief.

"My family and I have had such a good time getting to know you through blogging that we had the bright idea (thanks Rachel, who really, really has been trying to figure out a way to get here) to host and equi-blogger weekend. We'll announce it on our blogs tomorrow or the next day, but since you guys have guest blogged with me, we thought we'd give y'all the 4-1-1 first.

We're still working out the details, but we've got the big ones worked out. The dates are Friday, August 20 through Sunday, August 22 (3 days, 2 nights). And, yes Rachel, kids are welcome this weekend. Prices include breakfast, bag lunch, and dinner.

We're also planning a six-hour ride through RMNP - we've got the trails mapped out already :) For anyone who doesn't want to spend six-hours on a strange horse, Estes Park has a lot of things to offer.

Unfortunately, we don't have the facilities for anyone to bring their own horses, so any riding will be done using livery or ranch horses. Don't worry, Juanita, Bill and I have spent many an hour wrangling for the livery across the street :)

Prices for the weekend (Including tax, but not including horse rental):

* Apartment (sleeps four) $314.25
* Room 22 (two) $261.88
* Rooms 1, 4, 6, 8, 16 (private bath) $230.45
* Rooms 2, 3, 15, 18,20 (shared bath) $199.03


All rooms (except Apartment) are priced for double occupancy; no price difference for single. $10.00 extra for 3rd person in room, even a child.

Take a look at the website, www.allensparklodge.com, for pictures of the rooms. For more information, email Juanita and Bill at info@allensparklodge.com."

Now, I of course went immediately to the website for Allenspark Lodge... and *sighed*. With longing. Lots. Of. Longing.

A vacation? Really? For REAL? With other horse bloggers? In COLORADO, where I've always always always wanted to go?

I showed the website to Dear Husband as well... we looked deeply into each others eyes, and shared the same thought:.... HEAVEN.

Now, it would please me to No End to proclaim that we've booked our room and bought our plane tickets out, except we haven't. I am working on it though, and have hope that we can make this happen. Don't take this wrong folks, it would be GREAT to meet a slew of you in Colorado, but the mere THOUGHT of a V-A-C-A-T-I-O-N has me Supremely Motivated to Make This Happen. We haven't been on a vacation in.... umm.... well, let's see.... Does being shipped out to do a hoof education weekend count? (We did work all weekend, so I think that DQ's the "vacation" part.) Shoot- there hasn't BEEN a vacation in far, far too long.

Regardless of whether or not Dear Husband and I can make it, this is a Most Excellent Chance for a lot of YOU guys to get AWAY, to somewhere SPECTACULAR! Give Bill and Juanita a call, (303-747-2552), and book your room before August 10 for $5.

Contest At First Draught Farm!

Check this out everyone-- what is missing is the contest. For those of you who drive out in our equi-bloggosphere, pop on over and see what you think!

First Draught Farm



In Other News:
I really need to stop looking at Craigslist ads. I know-- I say this at LEAST three times a year, but... well, shoot even Dear Husband says this colt is a cutie.

So I'll keep saying "I don't need this colt" as my mantra today.. over and over and over.. and maybe.. just maybe.. I'll believe it by the end of the day.

(NOT) To be fair, Dear Husband and I have been watching ads for this colt for what seems like six or seven weeks now. The current owners went to the expense of cutting him recently. Some of the ads had a face shot in place, and y'all, let me tell you- the face shot caught Dear Husband's attention. His exact words? "Now THAT'S the kind of horse we'd bring home. Look at that face! He is a cute bugger!"

And then he gave me THAT look (y'all know the look I'm speaking of...) and navigated away from the page.

Come Onnnnnn winning Lotto numbers..... I need me some big pastures, and cute horses like that colt to put in them!

Sonny's Day Late Sunday

Like the rest of Real Life at The Asylum this past week, Sonny had an easy week. He mostly got loved on, food tossed to him, and a bit of grooming. It wasn't until Friday that he had to work a bit, and he sure acted happy to be out dancing around. (He acted a lot like Ms. Jackie's Ace did!)

Bucking, snorting, mock charges at Jo the Wonder Nanny Dog (who was hiding behind her favorite Confederate Rose plant again, thinking she was invisible,) head held high, eyes bright, strides long and even, tail flagged up over his back trying to act like one of MiKael's Arabians... It gives me goose bumps to watch him play like that. OK- to be truthful, to watch ANY horse play like that gives me goose bumps.

After his display, I did debate a bit with myself over how intelligent it may be to crawl up on that broad red back.... And I did it anyway. He was his usual solid self- responsive, soft, willing, and forward.

Another Shut Up And Ride session needs to occur today or tomorrow, depending on the schedule.

*Pictures used in this post are from January and February. I forgot the camera on Friday...
I'm hoping that the radiograph post(s) can get done this week. If I can keep my eyes open long enough, they'll be fantastic.

Want To See What's Going On Round Here?

If you dare, pop on over to Note To Self.....

It's been added to since this originally went up.... check out THERAPY....

There's Going To Be A Delay...

Please bear with me folks-- there is just nothing left in the go-juice tank right now. I'm going to post, but it will probably be sporadic to say the least for a little while.

Sonny's Mosquito Halt arrived yesterday and he is one HAPPY Big Red Horse now, bathed in it. For 24 hours now, he has not had to stomp, shake, swish his long beautiful tail, or scratch or rub anywhere. Skeeter Halt = Very Happy Gnat Free Horse.

Phew.

Be back when I have some oomph....
~MM

Sonny's Su..err... What Day Is It?

I know, I know... it has been mighty darn quiet around The Asylum lately. Right- so the ASYLUM has not been quiet by any means.

I have just been drained.
Fini.
Kaput.
Dry.
Got Nothing.

We're working on it.... slowly.


Onto Sonny Bunz.

The sultry, lazy spring of the Southland has arrived, and it seems to be slipping rapidly into an early summer. Complete with an invasion of swarm upon swarm of sand gnats, which are driving Sonny (and every other animal and person near them,) insane. If you look close at the picture below, you'll see tiny little flecks of silvery color. Those are sand gnats. They burrow into the hair coat (or your hair) and bite. And bite, bite, bite, bite, bite some more. In a ten hour stretch, Sonny went from fine, with no bad spots on him to raw on his chest between his forelegs, down his midline, and in his ears. There are hundreds of thousands of these freaking things, and they drive us insane.

Even after a shower, I can still feel them crawling around in my hair. Poor Sonny... He has been slathered in SWAT (the clear stuff... he'd have a hissy fit if it was pink I'm sure,) and sprayed well with a human mosquito repellent, as we wait for his Mosquito Halt to arrive. (Should be here today. THANK GOD.) Gnat season pretty much ends a lot of outdoor equine activity for some folks. Once the Skeeter Halt gets here though (and I am praying it still works,) Sonny and I will be OK early in the mornings to sneak out for grass and play time.

Above, we have Big Red enjoying his Easter Breakfast. He had mush and carrots, and was happy.



The copy of the radiograph below was on Shiloh Horse Rescue's blog. Jill graciously granted permission for us to use it as a teaching tool here. For an advance look, check it out. I'm about half done with marking off various things, so expect this to be a two to three part work, incorporated into the "Going Bare" series.

I can't thank Jill and crew enough for letting us discuss this image. It is perfect for some educational posts!


Dear Husband Update:
He's holding his own. It has been a long, long, long, L-O-N-G month for him. He has seen about five (I think... I lost count) Doctors, plus long distance consultations with my Nephrologist sister, Dr. K Medicine Woman.

We still don't have any answers. His pancreatic hormones are still climbing. The pain comes in waves. We do have two indicators though, before an episode arrives. One is his blood sugar begins to elevate to higher (borderline scary) levels, and two- Jo the Wonder Nanny Dog. Yep- about twelve hours before the blood sugars rise, and before the pains set in, Jo becomes Dear Husband's velcro dog. She will NOT leave his side. The normal routine when he gets home- Jo wanders up to say "Hi Dad!" all tail wags and smiles, and then she wanders back to where I am. She and I feed the horse, feed the family, bathe the kids, and then we tuck them in (with DAT too), and tell a bed time story. Normally, she is near me, and near the kids.

What we've noticed lately though, is she won't leave Dear Husband's side. Not to go feed the horse, make supper, (unless Dear Husband is cooking that is,) bathe the kids, or even stay to tuck the kids into bed. (Dear Husband comes in, tucks kids in, we all say prayers, and he comes out to chill on the couch for a while.) Rather than laying on the bed with the kids, she gets up and comes out when Dear Husband comes out, and curls up on the couch with him. If he leaves, she paces and worries until he gets home, where she once again attaches to him.

Can I just say, once again, how freaking amazing my dog is?

Dear Husband sees his regular Doctor again tomorrow morning. On April 20th, he will (finally) see the gastro Doctor. April 20. Damn long ways away right now.

In the meantime- I will ask that prayers continue for Dear Husband, and what is little left of my sanity. I will keep everyone posted as we know more.

Meantime- look for bones coming to a post near you soon.