Ride On

This time of year I am always itchin' to get out and ride more.  It's just that the weather can sometimes be a deterrent. 

I like the sentiments in this meme, but it's not exactly the basis behind this blog title.  What I was thinking this week, is to just keep riding as much as possible.  So in this post, you'll see more memes (like the one below) with this idea.  

Ride when ya can, while ya can.

Saturday 3/2 - I woke up earlier than usual or necessary, excited about the guests coming and the day's plans.  The damp, cold weather caused me some angst, but I was bound and determined for the planned horseback ride to happen. 

I went to the gym for a short, quick little 90 minute workout.  I took this photo when I got home, to show a friend that our house is like a fish bowl you can see straight through.  Notice Mama Styx in the downstairs window.  If you enlarge photo, you can also see Stevie in the balcony window.  And you can even see the silhouette of Monita's head, who is on the couch.

I made a lettuce salad and took it and several other things for the night's dinner out to the ranch.  The house was cold when I got there so I turned up the heat and started a little jigsaw puzzle.  Joe, then Patty, and finally Courtney and Kent (with his two dogs) arrived. 







The two dogs (Dolly and Pekka) enjoyed the yard but were quite interested in the chickens, so Joe walked the fence line securing it at the ground in a few places.

We had lunch, which Courtney and Kent had picked up at Buc-ee's and afterwards headed down to the barn.

We caught the three horses and got saddled up.  Patty was first in the saddle on Banner. 










Courtney was next to 'mount up' on Zorro. 



But then she needed to make a small stirrup adjustment, which Joe helped with, while Kent watched.  
We posed for a couple of group photos. 



















A girl on her horse while her beau looks on in approval.

Then we hit the trail. 








Joe and Kent also 'hit the trail' (roads) taking the gator out.  We showed Courtney our new trail through the woods and Joe and Kent were at the other end (on Hathaway) to get a photo of us coming out of the woods.  I wish I had thought to get a photo of the boys in the gator. 




I tried a selfie video which didn't come out well, but here is a screen shot from it.

All three horses did very well and we enjoyed a nice little ride.

Once back at the barn, it was then Kent's chance to get on a horse, which he has only done once before, as a very young boy. 

Courtney led Zorro around the round pen with Kent in the saddle.  

We decided to give Kent a little more 'security' in the saddle by lowering the stirrups so he could help balance with his feet in them.  But when a guy is 6'6" we just couldn't get the stirrups long enough. 

We then tended to some ranch chores, putting out  a round bale of hay. 



After Joe placed the bale, using the tractor, we cut all the baling twine off, and then lowered the feeder around the bale. 

It's no wonder Amiga has troubles keeping the weight off.  She was on that hay like flies on... well, you get the picture.

We hung out up at the ranch house just chill-axing awhile.  This is Pekka on the left and Dolly on the right.  They wanted to play with Maggie but she got a little perturbed by all the puppy energy. 






While Patty was putting the lasagna in the oven to bake, I heard a commotion and looked out the kitchen window.  I saw Dolly in the chicken run, chasing the hens.  Apparently, she had pushed through our flimsy little gate which gave way in the middle.  The dog grabbed a hold of one of the red chickens before Courtney and Kent were able to catch her.  But their fast reaction did save the chicken's life (for now). 


Once the excitement was over, the dogs contained, the gate 'fixed' and the dust had settled, I went in to check on the chicken (it was either Red or Freddy).  She definitely needed some first aid.  Since Patty and I were going to the barn anyway to do feeding chores, I took the hen (I think it's Red) down to the tack room and we looked at her closer and saw that the middle ⅓ of her back was missing skin and you could see muscle, while the lower ⅓ was missing feathers and looked like a plucked chicken.  And she had three deep puncture wounds.  So as not to upset her anymore than she already was, we just used some of the blue lotion, which is a wound care product, and dabbed that on her puncture wounds and deep injuries.  Then I stuck her in the cat crate with a towel and once we were done feeding horses, took her back up to the chicken coop for the night. 

I knew Kent felt bad about the chicken, as did all of us, but I tried to re-assure him (and myself) that it is all part of life on the ranch.  His dogs were just doing what comes natural.  We should have had a more secure chicken run. 

Well, we were able to not let the unfortunate accident bum us out too much (got ta ride on) and soon enjoyed a very tasty lasagna (that Patty had made) for our meal.  Thank goodness we hadn't planned chicken for dinner. 

The sun had actually peeked out for a bit in the afternoon and it had been a really nice day.  The wind wasn't bad so we were able to enjoy a bonfire, even though it was a little difficult to get started because of the damp wood.

Shirley and Susan were the only two guests (seen above with Patty) that made it to our 'party,' so the evening was a little quieter than usual, and that was okay. 

Courtney with Pekka and Kent with Dolly.

It really cooled off and a fog moved in so we abandoned the bonfire earlier than usual.  After everyone had cleared out, the 'kids' and pups hit the road for Nashville, I locked up the ranch house and headed home too.  I was hoping Kent had enjoyed his visit.

Sunday 3/3 - We all 'get old' when we stop doing any fun or physical activity we love.  Unfortunately, sometimes our health no-longer permits us to continue full throttle at some endeavors.  But as long as you can... keep riding, dancing, herding sheep, scrap-booking, hiking, going to social events, etc.  Cut back or modify the activity if you need to, but keep on keepin' on, and ride on.


Before leaving for the ranch, I read up on wounded chicken care.  Driving there at 7:30am, I didn't know if I would be burying a chicken or administering more first aid. 


Well, Red lived through the night.  The early photo of her injuries was actually taken this morning.  So I went into long-term care mode.  I collected supplies and then set up a spot for her in the coop to be by herself to heal without being harassed by the others. 




Here is a before and after photo of the coop set-up.  Red has a little 'cage' under the nest boxes now. 

I left Red in the cat carrier while getting her cage all set up with a food tray, water in the little chick water jar, and a nest box.




Then I tended to Red's injuries, spraying a wound wash product all over the affected area, dabbing it dry, applying blue lotion to the deep wounds, and an antibiotic ointment all over.  I used a towel over her head which kept her calm while I worked. 



I watched her for awhile and was glad to see her enjoying her electrolyte water and really 'digging in' on eating her feed.  She really went for the high protein stuff (meal worms and suet pellets). 

Red actually doesn't look too bad with her wings folded up over her back.  I think they help keep her warm and hopefully keep the area cleaner.

I plan to do the best I can for her; trying to keep the wound clean, her well fed with plenty of fresh water, and her as protected from further harm as possible.





I picked up things left from our party at the ranch house, including getting all our leftovers out of the refrigerator.  When driving down to the barn, I snapped this photo of Amiga napping while Zorro 'stood guard.'




Brooke rode in on Banner just after I got there.  She reported liking the new trail in the woods, and finding another one I now want to go check out.  She headed up the drive to next ride the side and back pasture. 

I cleaned up the cat crate and stowed it and some other supplies back in the tack room.  By the time I finished at the barn and was driving up the lane, Brooke was headed back to the barn.  






I ate, showered, tried to get this blog started, and then headed to a going away party for my friend and former co-worker Ed.  Maggie and the cats were having an easy going Sunday, lazying around in the living room. 




Mama Styx just hangin' out.  Monita came along and bopped Styx in the face.  Below, I only caught Mama Styx's reaction to Monita, bopping her back...  So there, take that!  

I had a great time at Ed’s going away party.  He knows lots of people from Reds, and many of them were there, so I knew and recognized many of the guests.  I really enjoyed catching up with some and getting to know some others.  It was a very fun time.  I left later than planned, to get to the ranch to do my chores.

When I arrived at the ranch, Patty and Karen were both there with the horses already in their feeding positions eating.  The only help I provided was to clean up manure from the paddock.

Once we finished at the barn, we went up to look at Red and they helped me assess her injuries.  We cleaned and treated her wounds and we all feel that she is very strong and getting along well.  In this photo, her wing is covering the section of bare muscle.  As long as we can prevent infection, we have high hopes for her.

Home from the ranch, I scurried around to get all my Sunday weekly chores done so I could be ready to talk with Britney at our designated 6:30 time, after eating dinner.  Another photo I took of our 'fish bowl' house. 








I had put corn out down back when I took the previous photo.  And shortly after I took this one, deer showed up for their evening snack. 

I had a nice (30 minute) chat with Britney.  It’s always good to hear your child’s voice.  Seeing and hearing her so happy, and enjoying Lupe (her new kitten named after Guadeloupe, where she was rescued) warmed my heart.  






Lupe's coloring looks a lot like Fran's, but Britney says her face and eyes are very different.  She loves to play and snuggle, so Britney is delighted.  She has been harassing Britney's guinea pigs and needs to stay confined to Britney's tiny house until she is a lot bigger, so Britney does have her hands full at the moment.

Monday 3/4 - Unfortunately, just one accident or catastrophic health event can cause our life to change drastically, and maybe never be the same again.  So, ya' all please be careful, but get out and enjoy life while you can. 

I got up, knowing I needed to get to the ranch to care for the chicken if I was going to keep the schedule of twice a day, morning and evening, wound care.

The fox was back, having come down from our front yard, but then headed away through Allen's back yard.  





I was dragging my feet about getting to the gym.  Being nearly two days behind on this blog, barely having gotten it started, and the fact that we ladies were planning to ride, meant I wouldn’t have time for the gym in the afternoon.  So I decided to skip the gym altogether and push through and try to finish up my weekend blog posts.

I took this photo the day before, when the sun was out.  That is Monita looking out the big picture window. 
Today the sunshine was almost non-existent. 

I did get to the ranch before 11am and took care of the chicken right away.  I noticed she was not putting her weight on her left foot as much as her right.  She seemed to be resting it as much as she could.  Looking closer at her wounds, which were above that leg, it seemed the severed skin (with feathers) that wasn't really attached, was being pulled down by gravity. 

 





I did wound care and looked closer at the area above Red's leg and wondered if there was a way to bandage it so the skin would stay up over her bare muscles.  I decided to have Karen and Patty look at it after our ride.

Since I was going to be riding at 2:00, I thought that I would spend the extra time at the ranch getting exercise by working on the new trail.  Well, that didn’t even come to fruition.  I ended up having a cup of tea, a cookie and working on the jigsaw puzzle I had started Saturday. 








It was just too cold and cloudy so I was waiting for the sun to come out and warm it up more.  I was enjoying watching the horses while I ate lunch and continued work on the puzzle.  The activity was fun and rewarding because the jigsaw was going together pretty quickly.

I got this far before it was time to meet the girls down at the barn.  I got down there just before they arrived. 










Karen was up on Banner and I on Amiga.  I had forgotten my hat so my hair was a bit wild.

Patty had come out of the barn with Zorro, and into the round pen and then realized she had forgotten her riding helmet. 

 

So Patty left Zorro 'ground tied' and she went to get our head gear.  He did very well standing there for several minutes.  But then, just as Patty was coming back, Zorro (only moving one front foot) bent his head down to sample the grass.  He had been doing so well.








Once on the trail, we enjoyed a really nice ride.  We went a little over three miles in just under an hour, so it was a very easy, relaxing pace.  The sun did finally peek out just before we got back to the barn.  After we finished with untacking and horse care, we helped Karen with chores.

Before heading home, we three went up to the chicken coop to look at Red.  We decided to use gauze with Vet wrap to help hold her skin up in place.  It didn’t really want to stick or stay on so we kind of redid it, messed with it, and finally left hoping it would stay on for a day anyway. 








Joe and I had leftover lasagna for dinner along with garlic sticks and salad and then watched three episodes of Suits.  Starting the sixth season, it has a different twist, with Mike in a white collar prison being threatened by an inmate.

Tuesday 3/5 - With the rain predicted to start at 1:00 I decided to reverse my usual day plan and first go to the ranch to get a ride in.  I worked here at my computer playing catch-up on this blog post, letting the day warm up some. 




Monita sleeping on the wall mount little ladder.

I took care of Red.  Her bandage did not stay on overnight, which was no surprise.  She has been eating, drinking, and pooping well, and lays an egg every other day.  She always 'kicks' the golf ball out of the nest on egg laying days, but poops on it in the nest on the other days.  Silly girl. 

I took Amiga for a little ride (video), really enjoy being out on her by myself.  As soon as we left the barnyard, the wind started blowing and it felt like rain.  I checked my weather app, and it said rain at 11am, (the current time) two hours earlier than this morning's prediction.

Amiga and I got sprinkled on just a bit and that was it.  I did do a shorter loop out on the roads, so once back, extended my riding time by going around the back and side pastures, since the rain had held off.

It sprinkled while I un-tacked Amiga, but stopped again.  I mucked the paddock before the rain would make it difficult and then I did some work out on my trail, trimming all the little briars down low in places where they had not yet been completely cleared. 




The rain started in earnest, I gave Red more high protein food on my way out, but didn't mess with her wounds again as research recommended only doing so twice a day the first three days.

I was home by 1:30 and knew if I didn’t go straight to the gym, I’d never get there, so I changed, had milk as my protein drink and dodged rain drops getting to the gym (and back).  I also stopped in to vote at the library building on my way home.

Joe and I watched three episodes of Suits.  This season has been a lot more nerve-racking because it includes a lot of prison life.  Not a fun place for anyone.

Wednesday 3/6 - The rain was supposed to clear off by mid afternoon, so I was planning to ride after feeding the horses.  You know the old saying, with a will there's a way. 


Styx behind my computer.  I continued putting more time in on this blog post than I really wanted to, but I was determined to get caught up.



I had a mid-morning lunch and got to the gym early afternoon.  After a good workout, I did a quick change and arrived at the ranch just after 4pm, in a drizzle. 

Red continues to do well and is now reduced to wound care once a day.  She sits very still when I have her head covered, but does react when I touch her sore spots.  Since I had chores to do this evening, I chose to wait and care for Red later in the day. 
 






When I got down to the barn to feed horses, my plans to ride afterwards were quickly dampened by the fact that all the horses were very wet and muddy and it was still drizzling.  Also it was getting a tad late. 





The rain that had started yesterday continued, all day long as it turned out.  Sometimes a ride just wasn’t meant to be.  Amiga would have the day off. 

Wanda was lonely and really wanting attention, so I sat with her a  moment.  She has gotten so much friendlier.

Poker Joe was gone so it was a quiet evening at home with a dog walk in the drizzle.

Thursday 3/7 - I have already enjoyed 11 years of retirement, and hope to be able to enjoy many more... and not by sitting at my computer, puzzle table, or on my couch watching TV the whole time.

Going for a ride today won out over going to the gym, since I had to go to the ranch to care for Red anyways and did not have time in the afternoon. 

Once again, I remained 'parked out' here at my computer, working on this blog, while waiting for it to warm up and dry up some.
The daffodils at the end of Mama's memorial bench bloomed.

I had an early lunch and was at the ranch before 11am.  When I cared for Red, I noticed she was pecking at this spot on her back, just above her tail.  I tried a different wound dressing, (Nu-stock) that promotes healing and hair (feather) growth.  It also has a bitter taste so hopefully will discourage her from pecking at herself.

Once finished with chicken care, I went for a nice one hour ride on Amiga.  Going bare-back would at least give my leg muscles a bit of a workout. 


The sun had finally come out and it got warm. 







The red maple and some other tree with red blooms were just starting to show color. 

I struggled to get a close up of them while also showing their color contrasted against the green pine or blue sky.

And here is a look at the back side of the paddock dam from the riding trail. 

You can see the spillway to the left and all the concrete slabs that have been dumped back there.  

The rubble is not near as noticeable from the pond side of the dam. 






I was home, showered, dressed and almost ready when Shirley picked me up at 4:40.  We got Patty and Karen and met (ten of us total) our saddle sisters at the Chinese restaurant for dinner.  Most of us went on to the Community Band show.  (Seen here from top left - Patty, Shirley, Judy, Karen, Judy, Carole, myself, and Karen.)  

It was a great show, although during the middle of the third song, we all had a sobering experience.  The first trombone player, who was also the MC, had a heart attack.  Several rushed to his rescue, doing CPR and using and AED defibrillator.  We watched and could hear it all because the microphone by him on stage picked up everything.  After many minutes of CPR, while most of the audience silently held their breath and prayed, his heart started back up.  The ambulance soon arrived and they rushed him away.  
The program started back up ten minutes later - the ride goes on.  And by the end, we got the report that Jim made it to the hospital and was in stable condition.  What a reminder to never take anything for granted, and be thankful for each day while living it to it's fullest, and keep on 'riding' as long as you can.
 

Friday 3/8 - Rain was predicted to start at 1:00 so my plan was to go for a ride after chicken care.  I did not feel the need to ride alone, but no one really cared to join me, and that was fine, cause I always enjoy my one-on-one time with Amiga. 

It was a cold, gloomy morning.  I took this (video) as the deer were finishing up taste testing stuff after the corn was gone.  This photo shows them continuing to nibble their way to and through the back of Allen's. 

Well, by the time I got to the ranch at 9:30, the prediction for rain had been moved up to 11:00.
Bonnie and Susan joined me in the chicken coop. 

Bonnie has rehabbed injured chickens before, so I wanted her advice.  We decided to completely coat the bare parts of the hen with 'blue-lotion.'  So Red is now a blueish purple chicken. 

Susan was good 'support staff,' handing us what we needed and taking some photos while we worked.

From the coop, I took a dozen eggs down to Jem's and visited with Denise briefly.

As I was headed to the barn, it looked more and more like rain and the wind had really picked up.  Banner typically stays off on his own, but I was surprised to see Amiga so far away from Zorro and Cowboy. 




I was in a rush to get going with my ride, to beat the rain, but it wasn't going to be as quick as 1,2,3.
It had started to rain lightly while I was grooming my dirty horse.  But I was bound and determined to ride.

Once I got Amiga cleaned up, I decided to go bareback to save time and keep my saddle dry.  With leg wraps on and bridle&bit in place, I headed out in a light drizzle.

Out in the open, the wind and drizzle were unpleasant, but the rain did stop before long and in the woods the wind was not too noticeable. 

I took Amiga on a hidden 4-wheeler trail from one cul-de-sac to another that Brooke had discovered.  It was actually quite doable, but I discovered that it looked like more tree 'harvesting' had been occurring back here.  




Back on Marmaduke, I had Amiga stop so I could get a photo of the 'wild' woodland daffodils. 











I always wonder why so much trash gets dumped in the woods.  Well, maybe these were landscape castoffs. 



I directed Amiga home by way of the Eli Ford route.  Just before getting to the road, the trail was blocked by a downed tree.  We did a little bushwhacking and got around it.  Standing at the edge of the road, I took this photo, and noticed it looks like the tree had been intentionally knocked over because the trunk was missing bark near the base.  The guy across the street has a skid steer.  What the heck, is he trying to keep us from riding through there?  It is actually part of Fairfield Glade. 

This map shows the route (red line) I took from Marmaduke to Eli Ford and the blue X where the tree was down.  All the small properties (in yellow) along Marmaduke and Rusham are part of Fairfield Glade.  The blue water drop is our ranch. 



I rode Amiga around the back and side pastures before returning to the barn.  Once I let her out in the paddock, she went straight to the stock tank and got a big drink of water.  She had refused any when I offered it to her before our ride.

I had a protein bar driving home, grabbed a glass of milk while I changed, and went to the gym.  I needed to keep the momentum going and ride on.  My enthusiasm and energy for a good workout was scanty.  But I got it done.

It was raining and blowing even more when I went to Food City on the way home.  I was so glad I had gotten my ride in earlier today.

“There are many wonderful places in the world, but one of my favorite places is on the back of my horse.” – Rolf Kopfle