A Day in the Life of Mrs. Cravitz

I am Donkey Driven and need your Advice:

2012-02-12T09:17:00.000-08:00

I am in quite a dilemma here

and I need some help/advice from,

YOU!

(Horse and Donkey owners!)

As you know,

I am a first time

"Donkey" owner.

Star is a doll.

Her and Libby get on very well together.

They do "love" each other!

But:

(Yes there is a but!)

I feel that Star is not 100% happy!

She loves Libby.

She likes her home here.

I just feel that there is something missing.

Star will just stand and stare a hole thru me.

I feel she is trying to tell me something

and I am not sure what it is.

I thought that maybe it could be she wants a friend of her own kind.

So I went on a Donkey Hunt!

From Texas to Arizona to Oregon and Washington.

I found a donkey rescue 2 hours from my house.

There are three Donkeys that need a home.

So yesterday hubby and I drove over to look at them.

In my mind,

"I felt that a donkey would have to 'pick-me' as their friend."

Or I would come home with nothing.

When we arrived there were several of these cuties waiting at the gate to meet and greet this 'new comer'

when we pulled up.

This cutie was the first one in my pocket.

Her name is Ghida.

She is not at all shy!

She will "really" get into your pocket!

She leads about as well as Star does, sort of.

She is not as good with her feet, but will allow you to touch them.

It was raining, and we were all soaking wet.

She is not a lovey dovey kind of donkey,

but she does like to hang out with you.

She is:

Curious.

Nosy.

Cute.

Gentle.

Pushy.

Nibbley.

Treat driven.

And:

she is 25 years old!

There are 2 other donkeys there that need a home also,

but they both came from the same home,

and one is very very shy!

The other one is shy also, but did walk up to me and want her butt scratched and let me love on her.

And she even scooted in-between me and Ghida.

I just feel that Star would need a buddy that would take the horse by the reins and show her that it is

OK to play!

It is OK to walk up to someone!

It is OK to just be a donkey!

Pictures below:

This donkey,

(I can't remember her name)

But she looks like a wooly mammoth!

Oh my gosh she is cute!

And so much hair!

He said people are always asking him:

"Is that a buffalo donkey?"

He told me a story that he took her packing and she got spooked and run off.

He could not find her, and thought she was gone forever.

When he got back to the trailer, there she was,

Standing there as if to say: "Where have you been?"

She is also 35 years old!

(I don't know how long ago he took her packing.)

I know donkeys can live a very long time!

I don't know if it is another donkey that I need!

I know that when I went to visit these donkeys, that they all,

Everyone of them, (but one)

clambered around me,

wanting attention!

(They all have a wonderful home.)

Where as, when I go out to my pasture,

Star always walks away from me,

and I have to negotiate with her to walk up to her.

Once I can put my hand on her,

she melts like butter!

This does bother me.....

(I don't know how to fix it.)

and yes, I do the turn my back on her thing, and she does walk right up behind me.

My thoughts are this:

Does she need another donkey to show her things?

Her pasture mate before Libby was a donkey.

I do believe that Libby is her first horse buddy,

and they do get along beautifully.

Another reason I have been thinking of a donkey is:

When I take Libby out of the pasture,

Star runs to and fro and panics!

Of course this just breaks my heart!

I don't like to leave her alone.

But then would I have 2 donkeys doing that?

Also I have one and a half acres of pasture.

I see tell tale signs of Star already digging and tearing up the pasture.

This would most likely be two fold if I get a second Donkey.

Right now, I feed pasture 6-9 months of the year

and grass hay the winter months.

I believe feeding hay would be extended and my pasture would most likely not support three.

I have all these thoughts and then some running thru my head.

I do not take on ownership of any animal lightly!

It is big commitment.

My pets get better care that most, and I love each and every one of them unconditionally.

Even though Ghida is a totally cutie!~

I do worry that she is 25 years old.

I don't want another Poncho incident.

I am not asking you to 'tell' me what to do.

I am asking for feed back and YOUR THOUGHTS.

What would YOU do?

Lay it all out for me:

The good.

The bad.

Maybe something I have not thought of.

Sometimes someone else's perspective can shed some light.

What IS Lipoma?

2012-02-10T06:00:00.000-08:00

S.A.F.E.

Save A Forgotten Equine

updated their website.

They lost three of their special horses lately.

One of them:

Brandy

was lost in just about the same way I lost

Poncho! (You can read about it here.)

So I googled:

LIPOMA

and came up with this:

COW

It actually means:

Case of the Week!

The blog is a DVM

and on January 3rd, 2011

he did a post on Lipoma'!

Please go visit his blog,

(I am sure he looks at his page views as much as I do.)

I AM going to copy and paste from his blog to here,

simply because I do print my blogs out in a book at the end of the year,

and I would like to have this information in it:

~~~~~~~~Copied from his blog:~~~~~~~~

http://equinevetblog.blogspot.com/2011/01/cow-strangulating-lipoma.html

Monday, January 3, 2011

COW: Strangulating Lipoma

It has been a while since I posted a case of the week (maybe at the rate I’m going it should be case of the month—but then the acronym COM just isn’t as nice as COW). This was an older horse I saw on emergency last week. The history was a sudden onset (less than 2 hrs) very severe colic. In fact when I arrived, the horse was down, in shock and unable to get up. With the assistance of lots of good drugs we were able to get the horse comfortable enough to stand just long enough to do a rectal exam. Rectal exams are probably the single best diagnostic aid we have in sorting out colic’s. On rectal, a very tight band could be felt. This almost always means that something is twisted or displaced.

As it turned out, the cause of this horse’s colic was what is called a strangulating lipoma. They are called that because it is a lipoma that ‘strangles’ off a portion of the intestine. Lipomas are benign tumors of fat. In horses, they tend to form in a very thin membrane, referred to as the mesentery. Lipomas really do not cause a significant problem for the horse until they somehow get wrapped around a loop of intestine- almost always the small intestine. Once they wrap around a loop of intestine, the horse VERY quickly becomes extremely painful. The only way to fix the problem is surgery. Often they wrap tight enough around the intestines that they also occlude the blood flow to that section of intestine. If the circulation to the affected loops is significantly compromised then the intestine quickly begins to die, in which case at surgery the strangulated loop of intestine would have to be surgically removed. That is why, if surgery is to going to be pursued, it needs to happen ASAP. Even if surgery is elected for, sometimes you just cannot get the horse on the surgery table fast enough to save the intestine. On average about half of horses treated surgically survive in the long term.

Strangulating lipomas are so devastating, in large part, because they strike out of nowhere. There is nothing that can be done to prevent them and the only effective treatment is surgery. It is virtually impossible to detect these tumors until they cause a strangulation. The only thing that may lessen the development of these benign fat tumors is to keep your horse from getting too fat. Because it takes quite a bit of time for these tumors to form, they usually do not develop to a sufficient size to cause a problem until the horse is in its late teens or twenties. For reasons we do not yet fully understand, geldings and ponies tend to be at a greater risk for developing lipomas. The only effective treatment for a strangulating lipoma is surgery. Current estimates for an uncomplicated surgical colic are in the $5-7000 range. This type of colic is at a higher risk for post-surgical complications, so they can easily cost in excess of $7,000 to fix.

Here are the life lessons from this case: 1. With any severe, sudden onset colic, a veterinarian should be consulted immediately. In these cases, banamine is rarely ever powerful enough to suppress the severe level of pain. 2. Keep banamine on hand. Banamine is a medication that is quite effective in suppressing pain originating from the abdomen. Often a mild colic can be managed with this medication alone. If the pain does not resolve within 45-60 minutes of an oral dose of banamine, then a veterinarian should definitely be consulted. 3. Surgical costs are expensive and are almost always unexpected. It is wise to have some funds set aside in an emergency fund or have colic insurance. 4. Lipomas are just one more reason to add to the long list of reasons to keep your horse from getting overweight. Even if you do, as in this case, strangulating lipomas can and do still occur.

Here are some pictures of what they actually look like. The picture below is of the lipoma (after being unwrapped from the small intestine). Also notice the congested blood vessels to the small intestine as a result of the lipoma inhibiting the normal flow of blood.

Here is a picture of the distended loops of small intestine that develop as a result of the inability for ingesta to move through.

Posted by Deron Nelson DVM on Monday, January 03, 2011

~~~~~~~~~~End of Dr. Nelson's post~~~~~~~~~~~

THANK YOU Dr. Nelson for posting this.

I miss Poncho every single day!

Middle Son

2012-02-09T06:00:00.000-08:00

Our Middle Son lives in California.

I get to see him about once a year.

At Christmas!

The time goes by to fast, and all to soon he is headed back home.

Middle Son

Paints Bikes.

The kind that race on asphalt.

That go really really fast.

Here he is on HIS bike

that he painted.

(the #923 is for September 23rd, the day he almost died when he wrecked his bike.)

He recovered well from his accident and we are so blessed for that!.

(Video link to Robert's ride)

This model is promoting his business.

His website is:

MotoGloss Paints

(You can click on the link)

Middle Son's business is growing!

(I'm sure the cutie model might have something to do with it.)

Always nice to have a pretty young thing sitting on your ~~product~~ bike.)

This bike won something. It is owned by Chris Siglin.

(I can never remember the little details.)

Middle Son painted it!

(I remember that important thing.)

2011 AFM Banquet Film.

The above link goes to a film

Make sure you watch the very beginning,

then it is really good the last half.

He does not race professionally.

He races "track days".

It is exciting!

It's an adrenalin rush!

For him!

Me, as a mother worry like crazy.

I would not be normal if I didn't.

Stay safe!

And

Keep the rubber side down!

Century Link! BAD CUSTOMER SERVICE!

2012-02-08T06:00:00.001-08:00

We use to have:

For our telephone service.

Then they sold out to:

When I was with Qwest I paid $35.00 PER YEAR for

unlimited Long Distance.

Then a ~~few statements~~ year into being owned by Century Link,

I noticed I was being charged

$17.00

PER MONTH

for unlimited long distance!

I would not use $17.00 per month in long distance if they charged .25 cents per minute!

WAIT JUST ONE DOG GONE MINUTE HERE!

So I went to Verizon, and found out I could get a land line

for a whole whopping:

$19.99

PER MONTH

This included free long distance!

WOW!

So I hurried up and switched!

12/28/11 to be exact.

January I get a final billing from Century for $5.01 and I promptly paid it.

This month,

FEBRUARY

(count it, 2 months LATER!)

I get another bill:

$1.42!

Well it won't let me even look at it on line, because now, I do not have an account with them!

So I called.

After going through their automated system that

takes ~~two days~~ 15 minutes

I get a live person!

"Hello this is JP in Boise!"

To save you from a long drawn out conversation that I had with the inconsiderate person that he was, I will just say that he would NOT help me with my $1.42 dispute.

His only answer was that it "NEEDS JUSTIFICATION!"

I asked him "Customer Service wasn't justification?"

I kept asking him to speak with his supervisor.

He kept putting me on hold.

Each time he said I needed justification!

JP's justification was that the $1.42 consisted of:

$1.10 for two days of long distance service

(keep in mind I already paid $17.00 for the month)

and taxes on top of that!

Because of the billing dates, he was so confused, as well as I.

He just kept arguing with me about the charges:

JP: "Yes you owe them, and you need justification for any credit!"

Me: "No I do NOT owe them! I already paid it in January!"

JP: "I can't do anything without justification!"

ME: "I blog, and therefore I will talk bad about Century Link!"

JP: "You need justification!"

ME: "No I don't! I have 1500 followers!"

(Ok I exaggerated a bit)

JP: "Can you justify that?"

ME: "May I talk with your supervisor?"

JP: "No she is only the supervisor of me, not customers."

"There was just no way he could credit my account nor would anyone else in the company because it NEEDS JUSTIFICATION!

He put me on hold several times, but would never put me thru to his supervisor!

(He must of been fearful of me speaking to his supervisor.)

So I hung up and called back!

We will see about justification this time!

One thing about a large company like that you never get the same person when you call back!

MIKE from IDAHO FALLS saved the day!

He was very kind and polite!

He asked permission to call me, Jody!

Isn't that sweet?

Immediately he credited my account!

Mike said that I should not of been billed the $1.42

and if any more bills come in, to let them know!

Mr. JP in Boise, ID was rude, and totally not helpful!

He was NOT customer service oriented.

He did not portray the company in a good way!

I am done with Century Link!

Not ever again will I ever have service with them!

Nope!

Nada!

So people's CHECK YOUR BILL!

You might have hidden charges on there too!

Just think,

Even if it is only $1.00 dollar extra!

Just think of the amount of customers they have!

THAT my friend is a butt load of mooolaaaa!

Go VERIZON!

I am saving $45.00 PER MONTH!

and still have my land line

and my phone number I have had since 1977!

TOTALLY WORTH IT!

Oh and tell Hugo, Jody sent ya!

You get to save $25.00 off the already low price,

and YES, I get $25.00 credit too!

Who wouldn't want to save some cash these days?

(I did not get paid to write this blog!)

(I actually do have a life where it is not all Donkeys and Horses!)

Oh, and THANK YOU For following me!

If you are already a follower

re-follow on the LINKY LINK! (right side top)

Lessons in Life!

2012-02-07T06:00:00.000-08:00

How to Lead your Donkey!

Anger Management!

Sometimes it's best to know nothing!

2012-02-06T06:00:00.000-08:00

"Hey, Libby, What they doin'"

Libby: "Do I REALLY have to explain it to her?"

A Man's Favorite Position!

2012-02-05T06:00:00.000-08:00

Youngest son has a hobby!

Which generally includes his dad.

Which is a good thing.

Keeps them both busy and normally out of trouble.

Every time I go check on them,
Someones butt is in the air.

Y.S. traded this orange jeep for the white 4 door Chevy pick-up.

I really liked that Jeep too!

It was cute.

But this is his baby now.
He just got done lowering it,
and this past week,
they have been sanding on it.
Originally he was going to paint it flat black.

But something changed and he has decided to go with white.
I think black would look awesome,
and then he can name it:
"Christine!"

(Remember that movie about the possessed car?)

The interior is done very nicely and in red.
So once it is done it will look sharp.

I told him he should enter it in the local parade this summer
and I can follow with my donkey!
I thought it was a great idea but he just laughed and mumbled something about
really looking like "some sort of cultural group" we have around here.

Oh and just an FYI for anyone out there,
Y.S. would be willing to sell it if
he was approached with something in the color of green and has numbers on it.

A What? You got to be kidding!

2012-02-04T06:00:00.000-08:00

Hey! Ma!

How's the search for a buddy coming along?

"Well Star, To be honest, not so good.

There isn't one donkey looking for a home within a 200 mile stretch of this place!

What are your thoughts on a Mule?"

"A WHAT?"

"Well I found this totally adorable and cute little Molly Mule,

and she is looking for a home."

"Here I will show you a picture."

Star: "Well she certainly is not as cute as me!"

Me: "Star, you ARE cute. SHE is Beautiful! That is two different things."

Star: "You hurt my feelings!"

ME: "I'm Sorry, but it is true."

"So, anyway, Star, what do you think about having a Mule for a sister?"

Star: "Hey, Libby! What are your thoughts?"

Libby: "Shut UP Star! I am trying to levetate some hay from the barn to my feeder!"

Star: "WELL! You don't have to be an A$$ about it!"

Libby: "I said: S.H.U.T.U.P.! I can't concentrate while your flapping that velvet smooth nose of yours!"

Star: "Ok! Fine! If she will play nice and be my buddy then I will do my best to be her friend."

"She has no training, so I would be taking on a big responsibility!."

Star: "I can help you train her!'

Me: "Star, you barely lead and push me all over the place!"

Star: "Well that is because I need more practice. But I stand really nice and let you love all over me, and I even pick my feet up really good! Doesn't that account for something?"

Me: "Yes it does Star! It makes up for you lack of manners."

Star: "I will continue to do well at just being 'cute'."

Linky Links: A NEW Gadget!

2012-02-03T07:56:00.000-08:00

LINKY LINKS! (click to go see it)

My New favorite thing in blogland!

There is a new thing in blog world. I found it on one of my favorite blogs:

The D.I.Y. Showoff

I have been playing around with it, and since it is rumored, the

GFC (Google Friend Connect) is going to go away,

I saw this, and am preparing for when that happens.

Kind of like 12-12-2012, You know when the world is going to end!

(Are YOU prepared?)

Anyway, I signed up. It is free!

I put the link on my blog,

And,

GUESS WHAT?

All my GFC followers went away....:(( so sad...

BUT NEVER FEAR!

You can follow me again.

This time it is much, much easier.

My last following I had 51 people.

Lets work to make it MORE THAN THAT!

Of course you can still fill in the EMAIL UPDATES

but if you do that, you will get an email from "Feed Burner" that you will need to click

on the verification link IN THE EMAIL YOU RECIEVE to activate it.

It is to cut down on all you "spammers" out there in web land.

Any way, The D.I.Y. Showoff is showing off this new gadget by having a give away!

Go visit her blog:

http://www.diyshowoff.com/

and maybe she can give away some stuff to you!

Good luck,

and Please

Don't forget to follow my blog!

(Star said to follow so you can see if the maid is working hard to get me a buddy!)

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Star is getting bored!

2012-02-02T06:00:00.000-08:00

Star: "Guess what I did today?"

Libby: "I didn't do it! I had no part in it!"

Star: "You like my redecorating skills?"

Me: "STAR! You will cut yourself with this metal!"

So I blocked it up.

Next day I come home to this!

I don't know how,

but she had moved that tire onto her feed bin!

Libby: "I think Star needs a partner in crime so I don't get blamed for helping her!"

Me: "I'm working on it Libby but there just isn't any more Donkey's in Oregon.

and it is to costly to get one from Texas!"

Libby: "But you gotta work harder at it!"

Me: "I will Libby! I promise."

Star: "I don't like these toys you gave me. I can't re-arrange and decorate with them."

Me: "Star use your imagination! You can't tear down the shed!"

Star: "But I am trying to make more room for my new buddy.

I'm getting a new buddy? Right?"

Me: "Yes Star, I am trying to find you one."

Star: "Ok, I will go watch the Robin's then. Libby told me it is a sign that spring is around the corner. I think I will start to shed off some of this coat I grew."

Need I say More?

2012-02-01T06:00:00.000-08:00

Star, the Smart "A$$"!

Fleet of Angels......

2012-01-31T06:00:00.000-08:00

A TRANSPORTATION NETWORK FOR AT-RISK EQUINES

I am on a mission to recruit just

TWO (2) people to become

and

ANGEL!

If you have a horse trailer

and willing to haul a horse in need,

then go ahead,

This is for a good cause.

Their website is;

HERE

Click picture to go to website.

It is FREE to register, if you are able to transport.

Please: Become and ANGEL and help a HORSE!

Donkey hauling? or not!

2012-01-30T17:23:00.000-08:00

I have had Star for just over a month now.

Her and Libby are quite close,

but not buddy's!

Star needs someone to 'play' with.

Even though I play with her, and she is a love bug.

I listen to her.

She keeps asking for a playmate.

I have been doing a lot of research, and everyone with donkeys

have at least TWO!

My decision to get another one is based on the fact that,

I really am worried about when I start to ride Libby.

I do not!

I mean, do NOT

want Star to run around like Poncho did whenever Libby and I went out to ride.

Because it just breaks my heart.

She could go with us, but she chooses not to leave the pasture.

If there was another Donkey here then she would have someone to hang out with.

Libby would be friends with both.

My problem is this:

There are no donkeys to be had in the area I live.

Texas is over run with rescue donkeys.

AND

There is one that I can have,

but....

it is 1922 miles away.

I have been asking for quotes to ship the little guy here,

anywhere from $950.00 to $1650.00 to get him here.

My pocket book is not that deep.

Hubby does make trips to Texas for work

and he just laughed at me when I suggested he just hook the horse trailer up on his next trip and just kind of bring the little guy home.

That is not going to happen!

He made a statement:

"With all your blogging friends, couldn't you get a relay going?"

Well that is a thought.....

Wild Turkey and Coke

2012-01-30T06:00:00.000-08:00

The following post is to good not to share.

I received it in my email box.

The photos ARE real, as I hope the explanation is too:

"I had to go to Harrison this morning and saw this Coke truck sitting on the side of the road. When I got close to it I could see what was wrong and turned around to go make sure the driver was OK; he was fine. I told him he should get a medal for keeping the truck in the road and not having a major accident. You’ll see why in one of the pictures.

I guess he wanted a little Wild Turkey with his Coke this morning."

Good thing "I" wasn't driving, cause:

"I" Would have shit myself AND run into the tree!

CHICKEN! CHICKEN!

2012-01-29T06:00:00.000-08:00

This is the best Chicken!

The easiest shopping I have ever done too.

Just pull up to their drop off point,

and they will load it in your car!

Click to Register:

Get your Chicken: $1.69 lb.

Zaycon Foods

• 100 % natural chicken with no added hormones, additives or artificial ingredients

• Comes directly from the processor and has never been frozen

• Sold by the case — 40 lbs in each case I Got 20 Full Breasts.

• Case dimensions—18 in wide x 12 in deep x 7 in tall

[NOTE: Our chicken is delivered in its original wholesale packaging, a water resistant cardboard case containing three or four plastic bags of fresh chicken breasts. The smaller bags are typically sealed in a larger plastic bag. The smaller bags are not uniform in weight. There will be small amounts of naturally occuring liquids (i.e.,"chicken juice") in each bag and case. Chicken breasts typically come in double-lobed pairs ("butterfly") and will have small attached amounts of fat.]

The above was taken from their website.

There was actually very little fat, and what I did cut off,

I boiled up and made chicken and dumplings.

So NOTHING went to waste.

I got 20 full breasts, or 40 halves.

They do have more than just chicken,

at various times.

Once you register,

WHICH IS FREE

you will get email notices as when things are available.

They are almost THIS FRESH!

ICE WAR!

2012-01-28T06:00:00.000-08:00

During the ice that fell last week

Which kept the equines locked in their small pasture:

(That is NOT snow! It is an inch of ICE on the ground)

Nothing was spared!

Even our roof!

Hubby had to get up there and chip away at it.On this day, it was 42 degrees and MELTING rapidly,

But not fast enough.

It was backing up under the eve's and leaking down our patio door.

This stuff was like snot.

Ever slip on snot?

Ok then ~ a banana?

Thank goodness hubby did not slip.
And once the ice was all chipped away,
the leaking stopped and our roof was saved!
We won that one!

Oh SHEEE-AUGHT Moment!

2012-01-27T06:00:00.000-08:00

This big bay window is at the top of a building.

About "bird" height!

Something tells me that he crash landed, and the outcome was not good.

Even though I did not see him/it.

You sure can see his,

Beak

Wing feathers

Body

Feet

and I even think there was an

"OH SHIT" in there somewhere!

The Best Damn Casserole EVER!

2012-01-26T18:52:00.000-08:00

Raising three growing boys and one full grown hungry man,

Who were a meat and potatoes kind of gang,

left little in the way of creativity when it came to cooking.

I hated cooking dinner.

I still don't like it much,

but

to keep my life interesting, I started to experiment

with recipes.

(My youngest son begs me to stick with the recipe!)

Always, my family were the test subjects.

Most of the time they ate what I cooked.

Or fed it to the dog when my back was turned.

Probably because they knew better than to complain.

We all know:
"If Mama ain't happy, Nobody is happy!"

I did hit upon

THE BEST DAMN CASSEROLE EVER!

My own creation!

The only limit is your imagination!

Start off with meat!

This is the main ingredient.

I find Hamburger makes a really good casserole,

but chicken will do, and even pork.

About a pound or two. Depending on how many you are feeding.

Cook the meat. I usually chop it up and fry it.

Drain off juices.

(You can also used already cooked meat from a previous meal)

NOODLES:

Put a pan of water on the stove to boil.

Add the noodles to the boiling water.

Use what ever you have on hand.

You can even mix them.

(Pick out the little bugs that land in the water and float to the top, it is ok because you are going to rinse them anyway and those nasty little pasta eating bugs will go down the drain.)

Gage the amount of noodles you need by the amount of mouths you are going to feed.

While this is cooking/sauteing,

chop up some celery and 1 onion.

Melt some butter and saute these veggies in a sauce pan.

Next take your biggest bowl from the cupboard, because, believe me, You

ARE GOING TO NEED IT.

This grows.

Next grab some cans of veggies.

Three should be enough.

I usually use:

Corn: Always a good choice

Green Beans: Kids usually like these

and

Peas: More starch...

Or you can throw in some frozen veggies,

Like:

Broccoli ~ Cauliflower

(Add to the cooking noodles and water to soften)

Chopped Green, Yellow or Red Peppers, Tomatoes.

The sky is the limit as to what you want to add to this.

Put all these in your big bowl.

Add:

CREAM OF MUSHROOM SOUP

CREAM OF CELERY SOUP

1 can each

This is the staple to your casserole.

With these two soups you are the queen of the kitchen

and can make anything taste good!

I have added Cream Cheese if I was missing one of the cans of soup.

YUMMY!

Mix everything together and microwave it for 3 to 5 minutes to get everything hot.

Or you can toss it in the oven and bake it too,

Then sprinkle cheese on top before serving.

(Or just add some grated cheese and mix in before baking/cooking.)

Dish up and eat!

You will not want to do this while on a diet!

Before you know it, you will have eaten two big plates of this stuff!

Yep CARB-O-Holic overdose!

Try it out!

Test it on your family!

And let me know how it goes.

Bet they will compliment you on your cooking abilities!

Odds & Ends

2012-01-24T06:00:00.000-08:00

Sometimes I catch Sydney sleeping like this.

Can you see the white horse and the sheep?

They are not mine.

They are buddies.

They are actually quite popular.

They live on a corrner, and everyone in town knows of them.

I don't know the horse's name nor the people the own them.

But they are pampered and the horse is old.

Still a cutie and I can not drive by without checking on them.

A beautiful Sunrise the other morning.

I think it was Mother Nature

showing her beauty before

Old Man Winter showed up.

Someone's baaaack!

2012-01-23T06:00:00.000-08:00

Who's Dat?

Star: "Who is visitin' at the neighbors?"

Libby: "They aren't visitin'. They have come back home. They have been gone for a few months."

Libby: "Can we go play with them?"

Me: "No Libby you can not go play."

There are actually four horses all together, and Libby and Star

were very intent on watching them arrive back home.

I am just glad there is a pasture between them and us.

HAY delima

2012-01-22T06:00:00.000-08:00

This past fall I bought some hay.

It was a good deal.

Why they even delivered it

from Touchet, Washington!

I bought 3 ton.

I was told that they hay got bleached, but it was still good hay.

Then there was some green stuff too.

And oh "she is feeding it to her SHOW HORSES!"

I started to feed it this winter.

The light colored bales looked like straw!

Were very weedy.

and Star turned her nose up at them.

Libby she eats everything so I really could not tell by her,

except she got diarrhea.

Then I broke into some of the green bales

MOLD!

Every green bale had some mold in it.

Star: "Where is all our food going?"

Libby: "I don't know. I am getting pretty worried though."

Libby: "Those dang neighbor cows better not get it!

or there will be war!"

I did feed about a bale and a half to the cows.

But when I did that, for the next two days,

they ran over to the fence when I went out to feed.

I felt so bad for them.

So I put it on Craig's list.

46 bales of hay for $200.00.

It was snatched up in less than two hours!

I did replace the hay

with a lot better stuff,

that Star loves, and does not give Libby diarrhea.

Dang it! I hate when people LIE!

(She will not return phone calls!)

ICE Storm!

2012-01-21T08:31:00.000-08:00

They were predicting SNOW!

4-8" of the pretty white stuff.

INSTEAD

we got ICE!

Lots of it!

This is our driveway.

We could put ice skates on skate.

I worry sick about Libby and Star

walking on this stuff.

I can hear them as their hoof steps resound in the eerie quiet.

And if it wasn't for these wonderful boots I bought at the coast to walk in the surf with

I would be housebound and the equines would starve!

Instead I make my way out gingerly across the

inch of slick stuff, and feed.

All the while praying that Libby doesn't do anything stupid and slip and fall.

Because if she did, she would not ever get back up.

My water faucet is safe from the ice due to a good idea by

7MSN Ranch!

(Click to see)

I could skate around the shop,

but I might get tripped up on the twigs.

We have Australian Willows planted for shade behind the shop

and I love those trees!

Fast Growing. Very shady.

And my most favorite is:

They do not blow over in a wind storm!

Their only down fall, is they loose small branches

like most trees loose leaves.

But they are not big enough to do any damage.

Poor Star had Icicles hanging from her face.

Her and Libby did stay in the lean-to most of the time.

At least every time I checked on them they were in there.

All this crappy moisture came from the north and she liked to look outside.

The girls even have trouble

Walking on Water.

The promise of sunshine is on the horizon,

but then another storm is due in by tonight!

Feeding Time, A Road Block and Teeth!

2012-01-07T16:05:00.000-08:00

This is the way "we" feed.

Because Star follows me around like a shadow.

I do NOT normally allow this what so ever

because a human can get hurt.

Run over!

Kicked!

But with Star it is different.

I do watch her, and have eyes in the back of my head,
because I know that with equines,
nothing is a for sure deal!

Libby is such a twit when it comes to feeding.

So first off I toss some food in THE feeders.
Which keeps Libby busy and happy.

Then Star and I proceed through out the pasture
dropping handfuls here and there so
when 'the twit' runs her off one pile,
Star will have plenty others to eat from.

She munches on the hay, as we roll along.

She knows there is good stuff at the bottom and will bury her nose in to get it.

AND Libby knows she is not allowed to eat out of the hay wagon.

Here is Star following me.

Also Star and I have been working through her fear of

Crossing THE line!

There is an imaginary line in the dirt at the gate.

I left her here at this gate,
while I walked away to the front of the shop
and out of site of her,
to get the hay wagon.
She never moved!

Someone suggested backing her out.
So we working on backing.
She was doing very well.
Just behind the tire you see by her butt...
She would not go any further!

I have really hit a brick wall here.
I don't know if she will follow Libby out yet.
That will take two people.
One to lead Libby
and I will lead Star.
Until I can get a friend to help me,
I guess we will just keep our walks contained to the pasture.

While I was sitting on the Orange
bucket I was kissing that soft little muzzle of hers.

Well........
One thing led to another:

When, I thought I would check her teeth.
"Oh My! When was the last time you brushed?
Should we be calling the Dentist?"

After she let me look at her teeth, and I saw how nasty they were,
A thought came to mind:
Would she let me brush her teeth?

Using my finger as a tooth brush,
she let me rub all her teeth!
Even her gums!
She loved it!

So now I will be looking for a soft bristled equine tooth brush!

Just two photos of me and my donkey!

I am still waiting for my clicker training books.
I have already got my new camera which these pictures and videos were taken with.
I really like it too.
So a big thank you to all who recommended a
Canon Power Shot!

Working on Star......

2012-01-03T17:07:00.000-08:00

What a week!

My camera took a ~~shit~~ dump

as you know by my last post.

Will NOT EVER buy another Sanyo product!

So this past weekend we went to

Best Buy to check them out.

We would of bought one there, but they did not have any in stock.

So I came home and went to Best Buy on line!

Guess what?

They were $20.00 cheaper ON LINE

(Go Figure)

and

FREE SHIPPING!

So it is on its way to me!

I can't wait to get it and try it out.

Since my last post,

I discovered that Libby was very tender

on her belly between the front legs,

and on each of her front shoulders.

She is not a biter, but if she was,

I would of had some chunks taken out of my arm.

I figured it was due to the fact when she was running and

slipped on the grass,

(Movie in my last post).

So today I went out and

cleaned her feet, and touched her all over.

She was really good in the beginning,

but the more I rubbed her the more she got irritated.

Then all of a sudden,

rubbing her with my right hand,

my left hand was shocking her!!!!!!

You know those ~~big ass~~, little shocks you get

walking across the carpet and then you go and touch your computer

and you get a shock and it shorts your whole system down!

Well now I am thinking this was what was happening.

It has been cold and dry here, and the static electricity it pretty bad.

Star looking cute as ever!

A friend came over, and he is NEVER interested in my equines.

He is a Harley dude, and hubby's huntin' buddy.

But yesterday he wanted to pet Star.

So I gave him two cookies. One for Star and one for Libby.

At first Star ignored him.

Star: "You got something yummy?"

Huntin' buddy: "Yep I do!"

Of course Libby was on it like stink on shit.

Star figured if he has a cookie he isn't all bad, and allowed a pet.

Immediate friendship was born.

I work with Star every single day.

I can't wait to get home from work, and go out to the pasture.

It calls me.

It is in my dreams.

It is an addiction!

The other day, I thought we would work on desensitizing.

This is when my camera died.

But I did get this picture with the 'arm extension' leaning up against her.

I don't like using the word: whip.

Here is Sydney and Sassy. They think Star is someone to play with and Star is not to keen on on that idea. I will have to work on all them, to get them to all get along. That will be later this summer.

The neighbors chickens are a daily occurrence.

They work really hard getting bugs.

I hope they can keep up with them this summer because as mild of a winter as we have had, they should fatten up real nice.

I am going to work on clicker training Star.

Kris over at The Dancing Donkey

is working with Emma on clicker training.

She recommended a book which I have on order from Amazon

and should be here any day, as well as some clickers.

This afternoon Star and I worked, again, on getting past the gate!

She will not step foot past the gate, to go outside the pasture to go for a walk!

I can not even entice her with a cookie.

Her feet are planted right at the gate line, and no matter what I do,

she will not budge.

So this afternoon I went to the end of the lead rope and SAT DOWN!

I studied her.

"Star I know I am not asking you correctly."

She stares at me.

I see her trying to communicate.

Her ears are up.

She is staring a hole in me.

So I THINK!

and think some more.

A light bulb turns on!

She has problems with ALL THE GATES!

Especially the round pen gate.

So we exercise walking thru the round pen gate, and all the other gates that go from pasture side to pasture side.

The round pen gate was the worse.

She got pretty good at going thru the gate so we quit on a good note.

We will work on gates till there are no issues then we will try to go outside, once again.

So I took Libby for a walk. We went down to get the garbage can,

and I thought she would have another fit, but no, she acted as if I

did not even have that noise piece of plastic barrel behind me.

All the while, Star is braying and running back and forth,

just like Poncho did!

So....this brings to mind.......

Another donkey?

So that when I go riding,

Star isn't beating herself up by missing Libby?

Two Donkeys eat as much as one horse.

Two Doneky's take up the space as ONE horse.

I do think that Star needs a Donkey friend.

Only wished I could borrow one somewhere.......

A very Crappy Camera!

2011-12-31T06:58:00.000-08:00

Back in March of 2010 I purchased a

Sanyo VPC-S1415 pocket camera

for $89.81 at our local Walmart.

The purpose was to be able to put it in my pocket and

carry it around to take pictures.

On the bike.

Riding Libby.

or just because.....

I have had issues with it off and on since i got it.

Mostly it would just freeze up, and I would have to

open the battery case and restart it.

Usually I have missed that

"Kodak Moment" by then.

Mine is the Pink one.

I thought it would of lasted more than just a year and a half.

I will NEVER EVER own another SANYO PRODUCT!
Especially after some of the reviews of various Sanyo products I have read on line!
OUCH!

Click here to read some reviews!

I am going to send it back to the company,

I can find an address to send it to!

With a ~~nasty~~ nice little letter of what I think of their product.

Anyway, onto a more delightful subject.

"STAR".

Yes, this little Donkey has hooked me big!

We have been working on desensitizing.

She is afraid of EVERYTHING!

It isn't just being cautious she literally will tense up.

I don't think she has been exposed to very much in her life, which is where this will change.

I plan to take her everywhere that I take Libby, and we have a long road ahead of us.

Everyday, I go to work, and rush right home to run out and play

Donkey games.

(I am open to any ideas on some new games by the way.)

She greets me with her honking....

You can't see much here, but you sure can hear her!

Music to my ears!

I can now walk up to her, face to face, most of the time, but I can always catch her.

Sometimes I have to wait for her to decide it is a good idea.

She was terrified of my ~~whip~~, (arm extension) at first.

But now, she will stand and let me rub it all over her, and I use it to guide us on our little pasture walks.

She puts her cute little nose in the halter!

Yesterday we picked up all 4 feet, and cleaned them!

I brushed her thoroughly. ALL OVER and UNDER!

Of course this goes without saying, that each of these sessions

costs me a pocket full of cookies.

(Nicker treats)

So, I thought maybe we would go for a walk outside of the pasture.

You know, get a change of scenery....

Star would have NOTHING to do with crossing that gate line!

I am sure that if the gate ever got left open, she will not leave the pasture!

I have kept the "L" part of my pasture fenced off for the past month.

So the other day, I thought I would open it up.

It is the first time Star has been in this part of the pasture.

And as you watch the video,

You will see,

Libby sees it open...

But she knows it HAS BEEN CLOSED UP!

Last minute thoughts in her head!

(I apologize for my yelling and the quality of the video. This is also the first time, the ~~dogs,~~ girls have pretty much met Star and her them. Sydney was not being very nice!)

So, now I am on the hunt for a pocket camera

to take lots of pictures of Star and Libby,

and of our Motorcycle rides.

And if you are looking for me,

check the pasture!

~~Most days~~ everyday I am out there playing or just hanging with my best friends:

Libby and Star.

(And in case you are wondering, the above photo and video's were taken with

the "crappy camera" hence the picture and sound quality.)