For My One Remaining reader....

Here's a progress shot of Rites of Spring:

My plan was to finish it this weekend- I even had Friday off for the vet & farrier. Well, that didn't happen (Ahem...I've been nominated for queen of Procrastinators Anonymous 18 times!). I worked on it yesterday at work and intended to finish it TODAY, and then my boss stayed in the office until 1:30, and the accountant lady stayed until 2:30. *SIGH*

The Axinator isn't as badly lame as I feared: she's sore the most in the left front heel & ankle (who knew???!!) as well as the back right hock. Both front fetlocks (or cankles in her case) and both hind hocks (elbows for the un-equinated) are experiencing the marvels of arthritis due to age, racing career of 9 years, and jumping for 5 more years. We're applying an anti-inflammatory ointment before & after riding for 10 days, and repeat after 5 days without. She is still progressing wonderfully on this new supplement, and the vet thinks maybe I've hit on a good combination with the old supplement. Long story short- it didn't even cost me more than $240 for the vet visit. She recommended some shoeing changes to my farrier, and everything looks very hopeful.

Nothing more on my September ornament, and I got my new 2008 JCS ornament issue. I agree with everyone else: why the hell didn't they note the page number that the picture appears on somewhere within the stitching directions??!!

Tonight is the first night since Sunday morning I've turned this infernal machine on; and now it's time to watch "House".

TTFN

Ahead of the Game!

I started my September ornament:

Bell Ornament by Jeannette Douglas Designs from the JCS Ornament preview issue. I'm quite a ways done already- mayeb I'll get it done in time for September 30th!

Axe was good again- she wasn't as frisky tonight, so I thought "Well maybe it isn't the supplements, and now that she's getting used to the weather, she'll get lame again." Then I picked up the wrong lead at the canter & she flew the change (bad for her stifle joints) and as I transitioned back to the trot she did one of her trippy steps. Then she was fine. After she was put away, Jodie came out and said she was pretending to be the Black Stallion today in the paddock- flying around with her tail waving like a flag & snorting- which explains why she was more subdued when I rode. But she needed to expend that extra energy, so all is good.

Truths About Horses:

Courtesy of Em (who got it from who knows where)

*(My edits in pink)

 

1. There is no such thing as a sterile barn cat.
2. No one ever notices how you ride until you fall off.
3. The least useful horse in your barn will eat the most, shit the most, require shoes every 4 weeks and need the vet at least once a month.
4. A horse's misbehavior will be in direct proportion to the number of people who are watching.
5. Your favorite tack always get chewed on, and your new blanket gets torn. Tack you hate will never wear out and blankets you hate are indestructible.
6. When change of season requires a different weight blanket, weather will change back as soon as previous blankets are washed.
7. Horses you hate cannot be sold and will outlive you.
8. Clipper blades will become dull when your horse is half clipped.
9. If you approach within fifty feet of your barn in clean clothes, you WILL get dirty.
10. The number of horses you own will increase to the number of stalls in the barn.
11. Your barn will fall down without baling twine. As soon as you throw out all discarded twine, you  will need a piece.
12. Hoof picks always run away from home.
13. If you fall off, you will land on the site of your most recent injury.
14. As soon as you make an appointment for vet to evaluate a lameness issue, lameness will disappear, only to re-appear a week after the appointment.

 

So I made an appointment for Axe on Friday to have her lameness looked at, and since Thursday she's been FULL of piss and vinegar- no sign of any lameness AT ALL!! So either the new supplement is finally kicking in & doing it's thing, or the change in weather is making her frisky. Emily rode her Thursday and again yesterday, and I rode Friday; she seems totally sound. I thought she was going to run thru the side of the indoor every time I asked her to canter, she was so full of herself. She really needed to be cantered for about a half hour straight, but I didn't want her to get so tired she'd get sore. Well, hopefully this means the vet won't be costing me a fortune. I can only hope. Also, in other good news: we think Bob has finally found a truck. THAT was only a year-round project! He's gives the guy the balance tonight and hopefully can drive it home tomorrow night. YAY!

Snoopy Dance

Silver & Blue

by Country Cottage Needleworks

JCS Xmas Ornament Preview issue

32ct. Natural linen with suggested flosses

With lots of thanks to Anna for her silver floss suggestion: spooled metallic DMC. It went quickly and painlessly- very short lengths was the key.

Ahoy thar mateys..

Today is "Talk Like a Pirate Day".

Help channel your inner pirate here.

Promises...

Cupcakes:

Fruit kebabs& honey/lime dipping sauce:

The continuing saga of stacking firewood:

My Bad

Coulda, woulda, shoulda...
Just worked thru the Pats game (Yay! They won!!) and the end of the Broncos game reconciling back 4 bank statements. Not a penny off! But what a monumental waste of time!

Untitled

Sorry- not feeling very clever today; in fact, I feel a HUGE hormonal rush of sobbing just waiting to be triggered at the back of my eyes- SO DON'T START ON ME!

Here's my progress on Rites of Spring:

I should just try to finish it tonight.

Oooh! OOh! I'm so excited!! (Talk about mood swings!)

I got Toil & Trouble:

and the flosses I didn't have. Underneath, in the foreground, are 3 choices I have of fabric in my stash. I think I like the green-ish one on the right. I was drooling over it today at work, and noticed a couple of errors: One symbol isn't listed on the key, and another appears to be mis-symboled. I emailed Plum Street Samplers for clarification. This is my first time trying that: contacting the designer. Let's see if she responds. Most other people who've mentioned writing to other designers about errata seem to have good results.

Here's my pee-boy:

That's Delilah trying to be center of attention, as usual, the slut.

Here's a blurry Chicken (she's just too wiggly):

All right- here's Delilah her bad self on the left, playing coy with the camera:

OK- where'd my "labels" and "date" thingy go?

TTFN

Never Forget

My thoughts & prayers go out to all who lost loved ones.

Point your Pepsi-filled mouth AWAY from your monitor:

http://cakewrecks.blogspot.com/

You can't stop scrolling thru this- OMG - I can't stop laughing! Try to click on the embedded links as you go- it's just way too funny!

So What do you Think of This?

Deb was stitching this last week and I totally fell in love.

I like it better than Fruit of the Spirit, and might just have to get it.

Oh! I wasn't able to add the photo I grabbed from PSS's photo gallery at first, but another grab caught it.

Yoo-Hoo!!! I'm baaaaaack....

Well, I didn't go anywhere, just got consumed in horse related responsibilities and lawn-mowing on sweaty days. On top of that add a dash of Pm-PMS (Pre-menopausal PMS) , and a healthy swig of "I don't want to even look at that pile of papers that's burying my desk/computer" , and I just collapsed on the couch, too exhausted to even find anything good on TV. Here's my progress on Rites of Spring:

It's getting there; I bet I could finish it this week if I stitched in the evening....

Here's my JCS 2008 LHN ornament:

Oops- it's kind of at a wonky angle.

Axe is starting her second week of the new joint supplement; she's not having any reaction to it (it contains a derivative of green-lipped mussels of all things- I had to check with her if she had shell fish allergies; as far as she remembers, the last time she ate scallops, she didn't break out with hives). I rode for the first time since last Wednesday and she seemed OK. I just walked & cantered though, and she might seem Ok because I haven't ridden. It usually takes a few weeks to see a difference, so I'm probably just being hopeful.

The Closer is on tonight- the last 3 episodes look like they'll be intense. Has anyone seen the previews of Grey's Anatomy premiere? Oh.My.God. Rose telling Derek she's "with his child", and Meredith screaming "NO" and crying thru what looks like a hospital window. That's all I could see without my glasses on,  getting dressed this morning. I hope I saw what I think I saw.

And let's all say a prayer for Tom Brady, shall we? Though he didn't impress me by NOT attending off-season conditioning camp this year for the first time. Perhaps he'd have had a bit more flexibility and "fixed" that bad foot if he had? I'm just saying is all.

I know what the problem is...

It's all this reading I've been doing. The other ladies from S&B bring books in to share, and I've been sucked into Suzanne Brockman's series about Troubleshooters Inc.

I just can't read and stitch and ride all at the same time. Plus mow my lawn. I'm almost done with my 2nd to last borrowed book- I've read 3 or 4 of the series already. And did you notice what's missing from my list of "To-Do's"? Yes- housework, as in dusting, vacuuming, wiping and cleaning, scrubbing, washing... What's a girl to do??

I forgot to post this stash I got last S&B night with the gift certificate Em got me:

BlackBird Designs "Beyond My Heart" and 4 of the required flosses; a piece of 40 ct. Ivory Linen- not earmarked for anything in particular-just because I'm loving using 40 ct. with the John James #28 needles- if you haven't tried the smaller needles on 40 ct. , well- you should- it makes all the difference in the world!, and Deb threw in that Prairie Schooler freebie. I like the BBD chart- but I LOVE the bonus pattern inside! And you'll just have to buy the chart to see that!

Off to the races, or the couch most likely. Long, unproductive (as far as doing anything I really wanted to do) weekend.

Have I said lately how much I loved and miss Ireland?