Fuzzy Flier

This was such a cool visitor on the fender of my horse trailer.

View down the road

It's been a stressful year, what with Della and Bridger's issues, financial worries, starting the master's degree, burying some cats and an uncle, buying a truck, and becoming horse-satan (note to self: do not worm pissy mares, let the vet do it.).

The plan is to sell the horse for a more tractable, less hot, equine, if I can find anyone who wants a big, blue-blood AQHA ex-racer. Maybe even ditch the trailer, for now. However, at some point, I do want another horse and I'll keep working with the Flirt-monster until I find her a home.

With Della and Bridger clearly out of the show picture, Emma long retired since her back injury and Gannett becoming, as Julie so eloquently demonstrated, our "ancient one," I'm down to Leidy and Carson to take to the dog shows. May have to look for some pupsters in the near future. My retirees can raise them and show them the ropes (no, Leidy, you do not get to help!), and hopefully we'll avoid passing along criminal tendencies.

I'm thinking dog shows are a more laudable set of goals than a master's degree - too bad I can't get Federal funding for them. More later.

On a happier note . . .

The crew is engaged in kitten-raising again. Leidy and Carson think it is their particular duty, though Leidy truly loves her job and her kitty.

Starr was due to go to the animal shelter to join the rest of her litter, when the folks who found them also discovered that their adult cats would not tolerate a kitten. Some of these folks included two of my students and they really twisted my arm (NOT) to take the kitty. Starr-girl came home with me two weeks before school ended, all of five weeks old. She has fit in well. Even my about to be neutered tom, Geo, has taken on kitty-care.

Della is the only completely unethusiastic member of the troupe, preferring the company of anyone but the kitty. I was almost done taking pictures when Starr tried to snuggle with Della. Della immediately decamped to the other sofa, where her mother could protect her.

Bridger - hoping for a better year

Bridger has had a tough 12 months. After a deer trampling and an Airdale chomping, he started to get skinny, REALLY skinny. Many x-rays and vet consultations later, it was decided that we would x-ray with a barium trace. There was a shadow. Exploratory surgery found that the shadow was some cellophane and a handful of small, sharp pieces of plastic. They didn't pass, as they normally would have, due to a thickening of the small intestine. The vets took out around 18 inches and sent some of the thickened tissue off to a lab for microscopic examination. The news was not good - adenocarcinoma, inoperable.





After looking into treatment and finding that what was available gained only a month or two and had worse side effects than having cancer, we will just let it be. Bridger is feeling better now that he is eating again, chasing Gannett, the old man, around the living room and bossing everyone else around. We'll keep him a happy boy for as long as we can - he deserves the best.

Della

My Dellie-Bellie, who has a very sore belly right now, wish there was a way for you to know how much I love you. All those supremely stupid human things mean nothing by comparison, and I will gladly sacrifice them all for you. Perhaps that is what they were for in the first place.
See you soon, my little hopper. We're coming.

New ventures

Started on another long-time goal today. Had a significant conversation with University of Phoenix about starting one of the three master's degrees I'd like to have. If financial aid comes through, I could start classes as soon as the end of the month. While it's a big commitment, if I intend to teach for any length of time, it will contribute greatly to my earning capability. Wish I could say it would contribute to my teaching, but like most of education, education masters are still pretty mired in "romantic" and unsuccessful methods from the early 1900's. On the plus side, the more labels one has, the more credibility, so perhaps I can use the degree to contribute to some positive changes to both the program and teaching.

So, the application for admission and the application for financial aide are both finished. Fingers crossed it all works out. Watching PBS, Dr. Dyer says you can be inspired to cause something to manifest if you believe it passionately enough. Time to believe.

Strange things

Had a bad dream yesterday, just before I woke up. It involved trapped corgi legs, that looked like white feet with red brindle tops, so I called the ex-Mark, and made sure the red brindle children were ok. All was well. The feeling intensified over the course of the day. Came home to a small, black kitten, who had pulled a folded up x-pen over on himself (it's been there more than a month, secure, no issues. What happened?). After who knows how many hours pinned to the cold, tile floor in the kitchen, he was both hypothermic and in shock, other injuries notwithstanding. Even with triage, he passed on to the island, hopefully to await me with Troll and Lucy, this morning.

Told the vet about this, as well as the three year waiting period on kitties before you can be sure of them, and he said I also started his day. He had three dogs in with broken legs, due to trapped appendages, today. Don't want to remember any more dreams.

Carson is very subdued - he loved his Digit. Though my kitty was secure this morning, warm and as comfortable as I could make him, Carson bathed him and nudged him further under the covers this morning while I was in the shower. I emerged from the bathroom to find Carson next to Digit, who had been carefully scooted across his blankie to a spot up against the pillows, just under the comforter. Carson apparently thought Digit would be warmer there, and laid next to him to be sure. I feel bad, both for little Digit's crummy ending, and for Carson, who obviously loved his little cat. Brother Geo, thought working manfully to stand in, is more reserved. We shall see if he can be Carson's friend as well.

Rest peacefully, little Digit. I miss you.