Ahh
This photograph was taken from a moving car. I was driving and snapping. Okay not a good thing to admit, but I was all alone on the bridge and there was no oncoming traffic. I'm grateful for living in a place where driving one hour away from home takes me out to the countryside. I hope you like the photo. Have a good day everyone.
Congratulations to H
I met my friends at the Kawasaki dealership last week because I can't pass up the opportunity to check out brand new motorcycles and inhale the new tire smell that permeates such places. A few weeks earlier it was the Harley shop.. where I indulged my "Born to Be Wild" fantasies and sat on a few Harleys. Naw.. no hawgs for me.
These Kawasaki Ninjas are pretty cute though. ... Oh, before my mother falls off her chair while reading this, and the word Ninja she should know that these bikes - the red one especially- are the same size as those used in the learn to ride class I took. The yellow one I'm on is a little bit larger- but not by much- .. for taller people.. *cough*
So I'm posting this pic because today, Saturday, my friend H is getting her Kawasaki Ninja delivered. I bet she is too exited to sleep tonight and is busy spending her sleepless night making a nice, new parking place in her garage. I picture a nice, warm, cozy nest... ok.. maybe just move the two Harleys over a bit. There, that'll do.
Mallow of the Flatland enjoying a daydream, while H gets the real thing! Way to go H, Congratulations!! 
Hoof comparison part 2
Silly me.. last time I made a comparison of Aristoitle's front feet I mistakenly used a photo of a Left fore and Right fore. The results are still interesting but not exactly, um, as accurate as I had first thought.
Not long ago I came across an article on thrush when I was doing some Internet surfing of barefoot hoof trimming sites. The article stated that even though a hoof may not look as though it is infected with thrush, it may in fact still have thrush down deep in the collateral grooves. One might not necessarily have the stinky, cheesy (ew) falling apart frogs associated with a bad thrush problem.. but it can still be there. Aristoitle has the occasional crumbly frogs, so I spray them with a full strength solution of Lysol after picking them out and brushing all the debris from the central sulcus and collateral grooves. I have been keeping up with this Lysol regimen for a month and am beginning to see some interesting changes. Guess what? Heel soundness and the desired heel first landing can be brought about by treating a thrush problem! So, if you have been trimming your horses feet, and you still see that he is a little tender in spite of careful trimming try a thrush treatment- it may be the missing piece of the puzzle towards your horses soundness. 
Aristoitle's hoof today vs. January '06.. quite a difference! Even though the January photo isn't framed the same way one can see that the hoof is returning to its natural shape now that is free from the shoe. Notice that the hoof has become less oblong. There is a nice callous forming all around the inside on the sole (like an upside down crescent). I keep a nice bevel, or mustang roll on the hoof wall to prevent any more laminar separation.
The lamina (a.k.a. white line, which in the '07 picture looks like a dark band around the inner edge) are not feeling anything at this point. What does hurt is a long hoof wall w/o a bevel because it acts like a lever pulling upward and outward with each step the horse takes. Imagine your index finger with a long fingernail and you want to push your fingertip straight down onto a table. The fingernail gets bent backwards with pressure, right? Now if the nail were trimmed back you would be able to apply pressure to your fingertip. This is what the bevel or mustang roll on the hoof wall does for the horses bare foot.
Why does he have this funny looking white line? 1. Dietary changes, 2.Worming medications, 3.Vaccinations, 4.Anything that will cause a large disruption & die off of the flora in the digestive tract.
Vaccinations? I don't have medical proof of this, and I'm not a veterinarian, but I am starting to believe that we vaccinate our horses too much. And can it really be good for the horses system to receive 3-4 vaccinations all in one day, in combination with (possibly) sedating him for a dentistry and other treatments?? Think of all the chemicals/vaccination bodies/ whatever you want to call it that just got put into the horses system.
Dietary changes? If you keep your horse in a boarding facility that buys its hay from various suppliers, how do you know what kind of hay your horse is getting? Is that quality consistent? Variations in the diet will certainly make an impact on the horses hooves. Just start looking down there for those "growth rings" and you will see what I'm talking about. The daily feeding of hay, sweet feeds, coupled with the worming meds can add up.. especially (in my opinion) the double paste worming routines.
Got grass?
Go to Safer Grass and you will never look at a lush, green pasture in the same way again.
If you are fortunate to have your horse on your own property and can arrange a version of Paddock Paradise you really should look into doing so.
Catching up on past activities
Have you ever gone without doing something for awhile, like, say for several weeks, then you get back to doing that thing again and it all goes really well? That's what happened when I rode Aristoitle the other day. He was great! He felt a bit stiff initially so I took things slowly and walked around the arena to warm him up. Then I asked him for a trot and he was fine -even a bit slow- which is unusual for my speedy Gonzales. As he warmed up he got a little faster, but he was relaxed with his head and neck low. At one time I lost my balance a little bit and his head popped way up..boing!! "Ack, what's she doing up there?!" .. then he regained his composure when I got my balance. :-)
I rode with only the bareback pad, the rope halter & lead rope. He is getting so responsive with just the shifting of my weight. It's really interesting to experiment with steering just by turning my head and upper body and have him respond to that alone with out my using the rein. I never thought I'd ride THIS horse with only a rope halter. I have Mr. Pat Parelli to thank for this. Thank you, thank you, thank you Pat.
I hear munching sounds
The giraffe horse neck 
What do you mean giraffe?
I was tagged
1. We have to post these rules before we give you the facts. 2. Players start with eight random facts/habits about themselves. 3. People who are tagged need to write their own blog about their eight things and post these rules. 4. At the end of your blog, you need to choose eight people to get tagged and list their names. 5. Don’t forget to leave them a comment telling them they’re tagged, and to read your blog.1. We have to post these rules before we give you the facts. 2. Players start with eight random facts/habits about themselves. 3. People who are tagged need to write their own blog about their eight things and post these rules. 4. At the end of your blog, you need to choose eight people to get tagged and list their names. 5. Don’t forget to leave them a comment telling them they’re tagged, and to read your blog.
I. I had to look up the word Meme before I started this reply. I'm not certain this would be called a Meme. More likely blogs on the Internet are.. these tidbits of personal information may be evolving into a form of Meme.. but I digress.
II. I like to make things.. sculptures, drawings, whatever. I enjoy combining digital and traditional processes but I really prefer making art without the use of a computer. I learned how to weld a few years ago and have made a steel & paper sculpture, and a table, both of which reside in my living room.
III. I have a sense of humor. I make fun of myself, tease others but at the same time I'm sensitive. Waaa poor me!
IV. I am mechanically inclined and have always wanted to learn how to fix motorcycles. I once found an abandoned motorcycle in the woods and then schemed for days about how to bring it home, and repair it. I still wish I had done it!!
V. I am friendly but only have a few close friends.
VI. I bought a second set of wheels and tires for my mountain bike so I can swap out the road tires for dirt tires. I enjoy tinkering with my bike and have a repair stand.. see #4.
VII. I enjoy reading blogs about art and cooking. I especially enjoy looking at photographs of tasty food and checking out the recipes even though I don't cook much.
VIII. I own one horse who is now 22 years old. I don't know where I would be today if I didn't have my horse. He has been one constant source happiness in my life that I thank God for. With him I have traveled to places I would not normally have gone. We have competed in endurance rides together and have seen the most beautiful countryside. Studying Parelli Natural Horsemanship has changed our relationship in the best way imaginable.
Look here for yummy recipes
I found the Desert Candy blog and discovered a bunch of tasty recipes.
Photo used without permission from desertcandy.blogspot.com -- I hope she doesn't mind. :^)
Hey you sitting at the computer...
Do you own any implements that make marks on paper or canvas? Even that charred stick laying at your feet, where you roasted last night's pigeon in your cave will do.
Visit the website of Mail Me Art and send them something creative. You know it's cool. You know you want to. No lame excuses, like "I can't draw".. If you even dare to think that you can't draw create, then SHAME ON YOU- YOU SHOULD BE MADE TO FEEL GUILTY BY CLICKING HERE.
Here's a little something to get you started.
Painting elephant photo was grabbed here
Oh the nerve
What should I see this afternoon as I pull out onto my street but a brand new orange and black 1200 N! Tell me this.. is fate so cruel and heartless that it would repeatedly place forbidden objects of my desire before me? I think not. Probably the universe heard me thinking about going to the H-D dealership and looking at these bikes in person and decided to save me a trip ( at least for today).
Maybe I should compose a request: Dear Universe, I would still like to have a full color brochure of the 1200 Nightster, so that I can plaster the walls of my bedroom, office and refrigerator with its bad-ass likeness. Thank you.
Continuing on...
If I'd had the opportunity to make a safe U turn I would have done so and followed stalked this lucky WOMAN rider down the road until she got to her destination, then I would have asked a hundred questions about her new hawg, afterwords I would have gotten all sad looking, like those waif children with huge, tear filled eyes you see on cheap velvet paintings. Perhaps she would have taken pity on me and let me sit on her new motorcycle, or offered me a glass of lemon-aid or something. You never know, it could have happened.
Now before I get railed on by friends, family, husband and mother for daydreaming about owning a moto.. because it is apparently suicidally unsafe to ride one -let me just remind all of you that I spent an entire year riding around on this, unbalanced, underpowered, neither bike nor mo-ped contraption called a SOLEX. Yes, a year on a Solex in the South of France. I was 26 years less mature or responsible than I am today, and I was riding through traffic rotaries, in the dark, in the rain on cobblestone streets, during the Mistral, and in good weather. I didn't have a helmet, I didn't have any protective clothing other than a parka and long pants. I'm not even going to go into the other riding events where I wore ridiculously little clothing -not a shred of it protective.
So. Don't. Start.
Solex Photo from Velocruz.com / Harley pic from H.D.
Harley-Davidson 1200 Nightster
*update December 10,2007 If you have come here seeking information on this particular bike check out the link to the review below.
Photographs courtesy of: This review
People of the kowtow
There are those among us who wish to fly. They bide their time until their flight feathers grow in, and then they take off. They live their life on their own terms. They make their life what they want it to be. I don't think this is a selfish way to live.
There are those among us who think too much of what others think of them. These people do what they think will make the other person happy. These people, lets call them the "kowtow".. defer to those others who's will it is they wish to make happy. Don't worry, they will forget about what they want.. for a short while.. a year or two maybe. Then their desire to do what they wanted will resurface and they will have the same inner conflicts again.
Suppress the feelings again.. and they surface again. It makes them angry doesn't it? It makes them resentful also. It is a vicious circle. It can bring up years of memories of things NOT DONE because someone- someone who's opinion they valued- said NO. One little word. One look. One time too many where a dream- no matter how stupid sounding at the time, no matter how shallow or superficial it may have been, got squelched.
When you are a kowtow person the WHY takes second place to the individual they are trying to please. When will we learn to make choices that will please and enrich our own lives instead of always trying to please and enrich someone else's?
Ooops!
The other morning as I drove home from work several idiot lights lit up my dashboard. I thought I would be safe to drive 10 minutes more till I got home but my car had other ideas. Just after turning right onto a major parkway my car died. Splat. Nothing. I looked at the battery monitor and I had NO JUICE. Since I was in the right lane I coasted over to the curb and got out of traffic. I couldn't figure out what the heck would cause such a meltdown of my year old car.. check engine light, check brake, and vehicle stability control lights were all on. What the heck!?
So I called the AAA to bail my poor little car out and tow it to the dealer. I had to wait 40 minutes for the tow truck to arrive.. good thing I had bought some pomegranate juice and cookies before leaving the store. M came out to sit with me so I had company too- although I had to listen to him bitch about how lousy he thought the car was now, and how disappointed he was in the brand, etc. Like I wasn't already feeling bad enough having broken down like that. He sure has a way of putting the icing on the cake in situations like these. One of these days I'm going to explode with a string of profanities telling him to keep his $#@&! opinions to himself and to SHUT THE FCUK UP!! At least defer your rants for another time when we are home, and it's the next day or something... not at 2 AM on the side of the road while waiting for the tow.
The next morning I get a phone call from the dealer. Apparently I don't have a major mechanical problem with the car at all. What a relief! In my embarrassment and dismay I wonder how many Toyota Prius owners let their cars run out of gas?
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
