AMAZING

Yesterday, 11/11/11, a miracle occurred for me and my husband. We had both really wanted to go spend this day together, no special reason, just wanted too. As we drew near, it looked like life had other plans. Then, at the very last minute...literally, 9pm the night before, plans changed.

Don had given up hope, and really didn't want to go. We had been planning for a while to go out hunting. 11/11/11 was his opening day for a Bull Elk hunt. In a unit he loves to hunt. He had been planning and scheming about it for a while, and then the night before he is backing down.

I didn't let him.

We took the girls to my sister in law the night before so we could get up at 4:30am, drive an hour and half to the mountains, and one of my favorite places, Island Park.

We got there just as the sun was rising, there was almost 12" of snow on the ground, and a frigid 6 degrees. I was so excited, I don't know why for sure, but this morning reminded me of mornings long ago.

We started our trek straight up a mountain....not my favorite, but I was so excited. I had made a decision to not whine once all day. We tromped through the snow for two hours or so, when I saw some elk.....very, very far away. Just a couple of cows, we think, but at least some elk.

We walked for a couple of more hours, decided to stop on the top of a ridge, for a snack. There were our elk directly across from us on the other ridge, about 750 yards as the crow flies. We watched them and started counting head, some cows, a spike (baby bull). All laying and resting, soaking in the sun. Not a care in their world.

No bulls, so we decided to circle around our ridge, headed back. Once we were standing I stopped to have one last look at these elk. I love hunting.....the real reason I love it, is seeing these amazing animals in the wild, being right there, right then. It is fun, to bring them home on occasion, but the real hunt for me is simply just finding them.

Anyways, I am watching the little herd, not really aware that Don is watching them too, when he gets all excited.

"Branch Antler Bull" he exclaims!

Sure enough I scan the mountain side, and there lying under a tree sleeping is a beautiful bull. Now the hunt is really on. I put my binos down and look at Don, who has this ridiculous grin on his face.

"What?" I ask.

His reply..."I am just wondering if I might kill you."

I already know what he is thinking, which would require reaching the peak of our ridge, dropping into a bowl, cross to the other ridge and drop down on these elk. How can I saw no, but it will kill me. I offer to stay behind, and watch...he won't let me. I think he is worried I might do something stupid and break a leg. He offers to head back....saying there are more elk in here. A concession that I can't take from him, he deserves to try.

So try we do. We reach the top of our ridge, a straight 200 yards up a rock face. We stop to watch the elk again, and make a path. The bowl is not passible, so we need to go down. I am spent, and we are directly across from the elk. We decide that I am going to climb out on these sheer rocks, and wait to give Don hand signals as he gets close. (Dippy forgot his cell phone!)

So Don goes down, and I climb out onto this ledge. It is amazing, I am sitting on a Lava Rock ledge, if I slip it is a really long ways to the bottom. I can see all of Island Park Resevior which is really saying something.

I get to sit there for two full hours watching these amazing animals. I watch as the Spike (baby bull) is rolling in the snow like a dog. Two baby calves are playing in the snow. There are TWO BIG BULLS! I keeping looking for Don, but I never see him.

I watch as the bigger bull of the two lays down by some trees, with a grumpy old hag cow right below him. His watch dog. Still no Don. A little more time goes by, and then out of no where the hag comes running down the mountain. The bull leaves his bed right behind her. I guess they see Don.

I start doing hand signals like crazy, as Don steps out of the trees, but it is all to late and the Elk are gone. I feel sad to see them go, and I can feel Dons defeat from across the ridge. I climb out of my post, and hike/slide down the mountain. When I reach Don, he confirms that he saw the big bull run out right in front of him, but never had a good shot. He is sad, but thrilled to have been that close to such a beautiful bull. Next time, we have all month....guess he won't have much work motivation, and I might get in shape (or die trying)!!!

The hike out is hell, we have to go through the bottom of the ravine, over lots of down fall, cross Blue creek, where yes Daddy, I got soaked. We run into our Elk again, but we are right behind them, and no good views. I made it out....I did trip and fall about 3/4 mile from the truck and just laid there wondering if I could get back up, but I didn't whine not once.

It was an Amazing Day.

Need to join my age group!

So it is pretty bad when you have a rude awakening that your mother is cooler, hipper, and up to all the blogging, cyber web facing, interfacing with all you computer junkies, when I am thirty years younger and I taught her how to use the Internet in the first place.

My mother has an IPOD, a KINDLE, TWO BLOGS, she TWEETS, she FACEBOOKS, and who knows what else. She is constantly sending me invites to Google+, GOOD READS, and more to follow her everywhere via the Internet. She has been hounding me for weeks to SKYPE!

GOOD GRIEF! How does this happen, who took over my mother, and where is she!!

Actually I am proud of her. All these things are great tools for us to use, and the majority of us are not using them as designed. We are wasting free advertising, free networking, free, free, free!

My excuse is a poor one, time! It really is a poor excuse. I work at an emergency clinic (veterinarian) as a technician, and we are either CRAZY or DEAD! I have time, they allow me to bring my computer to work, they allow me to access the Internet, and with in reason do as I please. So my excuse is a poor one. I am currently at work typing this, as a matter of fact.

The real reason I am being left behind is I am intimidated!!!! I have no idea how to use this stuff, I don't know where to start, and half the time it gets all munged up, and I just throw my hands in the air, and threaten my computer. I just missed the boat of computer networking being taught in school, when I was in high school the Internet was new, high tech, and expensive. Yes, I come from the era of no tech, to new tech. My dad had a bag phone!

Everything is moving so fast, if you do not stay on top of it you get swiped off and fall behind.

So my quest is to try to stay on top of this Internet craze and to join the forces of cyber junkies. Like it or not, here I come!

Smells

Isn't it amazing how a single smell can take you away. Back to where you once were, good, bad, or indifferent.

My daughters came home today from the neighbors who have a wood burning stove. Because it is snowing like November outside today, they had the stove roaring. I was able to have a few moments with my girls, before heading to my second job. As I was sitting on the couch just snuggling them I was soaking in the wonderful scent of a wood burning stove, and relishing those thoughts and memories of my childhood.

As I was growing up, we always had a wood burning stove. Actually my parents have a custom, handmade stove that they received for a wedding gift I believe. I love that stove, so much that seeing as they have decided on a permanent vacation in the Islands I have request ownership of said stove. I wish that I could install it in my current home, but we lack the space. So I have a special spot already planned for it, in the dream home we hope to build someday on our 20 acres.

Anyways, I always loved how in the cold months that stove made our house a home. It was warm and comforting. Often I would play, color, or curl up right by that stove. I loved watching my dads ritual of cleaning the stove. I have fond memories of going into the woods as a family to cut wood. I never had to work, I explored. One of my favorite pastimes, exploring the woods.

We used to dry our boots, mittens, everything by the stove. I loved, at night right before bed, standing by the stove soaking in as much warmth as possible and running to bed taking the heat of the stove with you.

As much as I love the Ocean, as much as I love my parents Island. I could never not snowing falling and a warm fire to sit by. It was how I was raised and it is something I truly do love. This is why I need to win the lottery, build that dream house and have a cabana by the ocean too!

For now, I will have to visit the neighbors.

I am gonna kill them!

MY DOGS! That's who.

So we have been fighting for over a year with our neighbor, over our dogs. You have to understand that this man hates dogs, with a passion. He shot the neighbors in cold blood. Once their dog was gone, check, he moved onto ours.

It started with a barking dog nuisance, that has snowballed into 6 misdemeanor charges for disturbing the peace, thousands of dollars in fines, informal probation for Don. The purpose of this blog is not the details of all of that....see past blogs for those.

Today I went to the store...bought some groceries. Some dinner items, some special treats, gourmet cookies, chocolate, going to have a pleasant night. You know how it is. Crazy days, wanted to treat the family.

So had to leave for twenty minutes to pick up Macy from the bus, left the dogs inside, locked out of my bedroom where a brand new mattress and comforter set do not need dog juice and hair. I had not even unpacked any of the groceries yet, left them on the counter.

Now a year a go, I would have quickly put the dogs into the Taj-mahal Kennel that inhabits my backyard. But due to before mentioned neighbor, $2000.00 just sits in my back yard growing weeds.

So I leave, and come back to find that Gunner and Zip, 2 of our 4 dogs, had devoured all my food. ALL OF IT. Now for those of you who don't know Zip and Gunner are our senior dogs. Gunner will be 9, and Zip is 7. Trustworthy right, apparently not.

They ate:

1 dozen gourmet peanut butter cookies

1 dozen hamburger buns, plus half the package.

1 large bag of chocolate candy, including half the package and every single individual wrapper, but one...I must of come in the door just then for them to have left it.

1lb raw hamburger

I had no words, I didn't even beat them. They will get theirs, sometime tonight around midnight their tummies will rumble and up it will come. I simply took them to the garage, the were excited thought they were going for a ride. Shoved them both into a crate that fits only one. Closed the door, the partners in crime can be partners in diarrhea tonight.

CRAZY DAYS!

So I of course follow my mothers blog, and she was talking about how bad she feels for not writing daily.

I come to my blog.....HOLY CRAP, it's been a month!!! To the day. I don't think I have many followers!! Not many of you have followed me in a literal sense anyways. So probably not a big deal, but to me it is.

Things have been BUSY! Actually the truth is the weather has finally turned, and I am motivated and excited to be outside. So therefore, my computer has sat and collected dust. Not all bad, sometimes it feels like you get sucked into the vortex of the internet, and then you step out and you realize you have been gone for hours!!

My girls also make it next to impossible for mom to sit at the computer much longer than 15 minutes.

SO THE HIGHLIGHTS (and LOWLIGHTS) TO THIS CRAZY MONTH:

8 1/2 years later and we finally built us a fire pit in our backyard. I have wanted one sense we built this house, but for some reason....I think I didn't want to dig a hole in my yard, I was waiting for one of those fancy $$ man made fire pits. Then Monday Macy and I were shopping and she asked if we could make Smore's. "Real Smore's with a camping type fire, not the microwave" She says. That night we made a fire pit, roasted mellows (as Macy still calls them), and had our Smore's.

Crazy neighbor is at it again. He cited our dogs for barking again....it is a blatant lie. They were outside, with bark collars on, not barking. He called Animal Control, claimed out dogs barked for an hour straight. So back through the gamet.....talked to Animal Control Officers, our neighbor a County Deputy, and the Sargent of Human Resorces. The end result and council was to go to Court (with out a lawyer this time big waste for $2000), plead not guilty, go to the pretrail confrence with signed statements from all my neighbors, and hope that my neighbor will be seen in his true light and case will be dismissed. So far the one good thing is Animal Control is done, and they will no longer let my neighbor civilian cite me. They are done being his transportation for harrasment.

We got a bird, she is a Jenday Conure. Smaller parrot. She sqwaks a lot, makes a great cow elk call, and loves to perch on our doors. She is very pretty likes to sit on your shoulder. Macy loves her, even though it was my Mother's Day gift! Her name is Kaytee.

Our one Chesapeake is pregnant and going to have fancy AKC Chesapeake puppies in June.

We are breeding our one stallion to several outside mares. A good idea sense we have no mares of our own to breed to him. This is a lot of work, but the good news it is making us a little extra cash.

I have a Tomato Plant, and a great Strawberry plant. Macy is so excited. She wanted a garden, but between my grey thumb and the dogs, a garden is just out of the question. So we planted a tomato plant in a pot, and got a hanging strawberry plant. Macy loves it, and keeps eating all my strawberries the minute they are ripe!

SO we have had a lot going on. Thrilled that it is finally Spring/Summer. Trying to enjoy it as much as possible. Don't want to waste a minute....so I better go!!!

Sweaty Palms!

Well, I did it. I actually did it. I spent the money, and stepped off the proverbial fence I have been on for over two years......and I applied, was accepted, registered and start class on May 16.

I am on my way to actually getting my AAS as a Veterinary Technician. I will have an associates degree, and if I actually finish, pass the State Exam I will eventually be a LVT (licensed veterinary technician) WOW!

And....my palms are sweating. Actually I am wondering if all this moisture will ruin my keyboard?? I am sooooo nervous, stupid I know but I am worried...will I be able to take this ONE course and pass, will I be tearing my hair out just trying to find the time. Is it going to be hard??? What if I fail, what if I quit, what if tomorrow the truck dies and I need the $369.00 I just blew to register for my class. ONE CLASS and look at me, thank goodness I didn't sign up for 3! I would probably be limp in my chair!

Well, wish me luck. Luck that my internet works when needed (online course), luck that I am not working on my class nightly for 2-3am because that is the only time I have, luck that I stick to this and don't panic and loose interest, luck above all that I finish and reach a goal!

Oh by the way, if I am not blogging that would be because the time I had is now devoted to screaming at my computer trying to get in an assignment due in 15mins, that's all!

Run Free

Monday started as a good day. I was motivated to get some things done. My house was in dire need of being cleaned. My floors were filthy, I had a large stack of dishes, and much more to do.

My mother called, and I got to talk with her for a while...we always talk a while anymore. The weather was not perfect, but considering what we had been having,

it wasn't bad. As I was ending my phone conversation with my mom, I looked out my back window to check on a cow that had been laboring off and on all morning. Sure enough, brand new baby calf just coming into the light of this world. It was a good day.

I was making good progress in cleaning, floors just needed moped, dishes we done, laundry was coming to a close. I went out back to check on mom and calf. To my surprise I was going to have another baby, Peppy our favorite, most beloved mare was in foal and due any day. It appeared she had entered into the final stages of labor.

Thunder clouds started rolling in, and the wind picked up. I stayed outside with her for twenty minutes or so. I started thinking about the girls inside, I thought Macy might enjoy seeing a foal be born. I came inside Rozi was still sleeping, got Macy and we h

eaded back outside.

We waited and watched. I started to realize that things were not progressing like they should, and that we had a problem. Saying nothing to Macy we came back inside, and I called work.

One of the vets was in town "shopping", the other said he would come as soon as possible. Thirty minutes later he arrived and I went rushing out to meet him. I had been watching Peppy from the window and I knew things were getting bad. She was up and down, hardly able to stand the pain.

He palpated her, which I had already done, and told him that she was just barely dilated, which is not good. He agreed. Her pain was so eminent, we could not even see her contractions anymore. He gave her banamine (anti-inflammatory) , assessed her as unready to deliver and was packing his bag with instructions to watch her through the night.....I was not impressed. He decided to check her heart rate, by my watch and his count her HR was at 100......incredibly high, close to inducing shock in a horse. At that moment Macy hollered for me from the house, I had to go check the girls.

As I was racing up to the house I was really wishing that the other vet from the clinic would have come, praying for Peppy's safe delivery of her new foal, and that she would be fine, and I quickly added please send the other vet. I soothed Rozi, put in a movie for Macy and headed back out the door. There in my backyard was a bright red Chevy, owned by the other doc. Thank God!

I walked up to them in the middle of discussion. The first Vet was debating on

Colic, the second was asking about Uterine Torsion. That was my exact thoughts and concerns about Peppy. More accurately, I was thinking about the time years ago when I had been told, :well, look at it this way, this is so rare you won't possibly have to endure it again."

There was another emergency for another client and they were debating about what to do. I could tell that Doc number two was highly concerned about my mare, and wanted to get to work on her. Vet One decided to leave and go to the other call. Again, thank God. Everyone has there specialty and horses are not Vet One's.

Immediately Vet Two went to work on Peppy, he also quickly assessed her cervix to be too small to deliver. He decided to sedate her to help calm her pain and keep her still so h

e could exam her better and make progress. A friend called, he was calling for another reason entirely but I told him I needed help with the girls, a man and all, he rushed right over. He only lives two miles away so he arrived while sedation was taking effect. He went right inside to see how the girls were doing. Vet Two checked progress on the cervix, and it had increased in size so he was able to rupture her placenta (break her water) hoping this would increase her contractions. We were still unable to evaluate what was wrong with Peppy. All we know was she had acute pain, her contractions were working against her, and the foal was still alive. My friend came out, Macy was intently watching her movie, and Rozi had fallen back asleep. Vet Two was shoulder deep inside Peppy, and finally found our problem. She was in fact my worst fear, a Uterine Torsion.

To those who are not medical junkies, a Uterine Torsion, is when the uterus in fact twists, just like you would twist a bag to close. Once it is twisted there is no way for the foal to receive it's vital resources from the mare. Blood and oxygen are cut off. The foal will slowly begin to die. Next her body becomes toxic from the death of her fetus, and she to dies. As for treatment, you can open her from both sides while standing, and manually twist the uterus back to the right position. Then you sew her back up, and hope that she can deliver the foal naturally. Unfortunately you need a mare who can stand, and due to the large amounts of pain induced by a torsion, they have a hard time standing. If you do nothing you will loose both mare and foal.

It began raining as I stood there and watched the labored breathing of one of my closest friends. I knew before he began telling me the fate of this great mare. Unfortunately, by some ill fate we had already experienced this once in a lifetime medical disaster. It had ended abruptly, and all was lost.

Vet Two had given me my options, options I already knew. We had to decide quickly if there was even hope of one life being saved. I ran to the pick-up where I knew our .22 pistol was stored under the seat. As I reached for it, thoughts raced through my head and tears, as they do right now, welled to my eyes. Life is such a precious gift, a gift I get to see yearly as our foals and calves are born into this world. A gift I hold dear to my heart as I rock my little ones in my lap. A gift I value as I feed my family, the meat we have hunted or raised. I brought the pistol out from under the seat, and walked slowly back to where she lay.

Vet Two took the pistol with brief instructions, and my friend wrapped his large bear like body around me and held me tight as the wind whipped around us all. One loud sharp sound, and I opened my eyes to Vet Two furiously cutting into her side. I quickly rushed over and helped pull a struggling, slimy mess from within her. I ripped at the placenta with my bare hands, praying for a loss to heal into a life.

A large beautiful bay roan colt emerged, with a tiny white star, and big bright eyes. He was looking deep into mine, as tears still streamed down my face. I watched as Vet and friend dragged him into the shelter out of the storm, he was snuggled into clean warm straw and struggling to grasp life.

Risks are taken as that. You win some you loose some. Life is full of choices, we all make them good ones, bad ones, indifferent ones. This was a good one, a life for a life. A risk worth taking, even at great loss. Don had come home at the end of this tale, his heart was heavy as we tried, and tried to keep those big brown eyes from closing.

This story has an unhappy ending. Those big, dark eyes closed for good that night. He is with his mom in pastures too green. Where horses run free, and clouds never grey. His life would have been tough, and his sentence was grim. He is where he will be best, with his mother forever running free.