E-Mail Addresses

I don't know how Jason and I found ourselves assigning e-mail addresses to our pets the other day but we did. We started off on a serious topic and somehow wound up jokingly making up e-mail addresses for our horses, dogs and goats. Truly one of those "how did we wind up here" conversations! Here are some of the e-mail addresses we came up with:


Mina (one of the World's Cutest Fainting Goats) - minaisagoat@faintinggoat.com - Because for some reason we always joke that Mina walks around saying "Mina is a goat."


Jo (short for Josephine, the other World's Cutest Fainting Goat) - muddertires@faintinggoat.com - Jo is a tomboy and we always joke that if she could drive she would have a jeep with big mudder tires.


Bear - allaboutme@beartheschipperke.com - Bear has a huge fan club of which he is the president. His e-mail address says it all as Bear's motto in life is "it's all about me!"


Bonnie - rocketscientist@bonniethehorse.com - We always joke that my mare Bonnie is way too smart for her own good. She definitely thinks she is smart!


Sky - canadianeh@skythehorse.com - My mare Sky is from Canada and we're pretty sure she says "eh" a lot.


Hoffy - okmommyifyousayso@hoffythehorse.com - According to Jason my horse Hoffy always says to me "Ok mommy, if you say so." Hoffy says this regardless of what I ask him to do, I have no doubt he would jump through flaming hoops of fire if I asked him too, "ok mommy, if you say so."


Jason and I can't be the only people who have crazy conversations like this about our pets. To make us feel a little less crazy tell us what your pets' e-mail address would be!

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Kennedy keeping watch while Toledo and Stormy nap

Clayton and Tiny
Boo and Justin
MyLight and Maisie
Silky grazing, Spike going after an itch spot and Lucky watching me
Lightening and Snappy
Norman
Regis and Noble
Leo
Hemi
Baby
Grand
Thomas and Levendi
Trigger, Elfin and Apollo
Tony

Battling the Fly

I know spring is in the air when the first fly makes an appearance in my vehicle. Jason and I trade back and forth with vehicles as some days one or the other of us needs the truck so the other one drives the car. Jason and I have very different philosophies on how we handle our vehicles. I like to keep mine clean. Jason likes to use his as a rolling trash can (I think I've mentioned before that I have neat freak tendencies and Jason . . . does not . . . to put it kindly). For example when I went to open the passenger door of the car earlier today two empty Sprite bottles fell out as soon as I opened it. I am sure you could hear my irritated sigh across all of Tennessee as I chased the bottles while they blew across the driveway.


I also can't stand it when there is a fly in my car. Jason likes to leave the windows down when he parks the car, basically begging every fly within 10 miles to set up shop. I was sitting in the drive-through at the bank on Friday. Of course the one fly in the car kept buzzing around me. If they would just leave me alone I could deal with it but noooooo, they always have to try and land on me. Since the window was already down in order for me to send my paperwork thru the chute I tried to gently guide the fly out the window. How is it that I always manage to get them right to the window and then they veer off course and come right back at me?


I picked up an envelope (the post office was my next stop) and tried swatting the fly out. The stupid thing continued to evade me. So I start swatting and swishing at the fly with my envelope like a mad woman while the stupid fly went everywhere except out the window. Then I heard laughing through the intercom and I realized the teller had already sent my deposit slip back (I was too pre-occupied to notice) and was having a laugh at my expense while watching me do battle with the fly. I'm sure I looked like some kind of lunatic. Of course the whole time I was having an internal dialogue that went something along the lines of "if Jason would just put the frigging window up when he parks the car I would be doing this right now."


Surely I am not the only person who battles flies in their vehicle?


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Miracle staring at the Don while he was crowing. I'm pretty sure she was saying something along the lines of "SHUT UP!"

Leo and Chance

Grand was napping . . .

. . . as were Levendi, Ivan and Thomas. Elfin is standing watch.

Tony

something had Homer's attention

Regis, Noble, Slinky, Spike, Snappy and O'Reilly

Tiny and Rampal were watching me . . .

. . . but apparently I was boring so they started to play
Then they looked at me with "we weren't doing anything but standing here" expressions

Rampal got bored with everything and yawned

Johnny

Murphy

Chili

Cuff Links

Maisie and Harmony

Spring Work, Miracle Update

The work of spring started a few weeks ago with pasture maintenance and re-seeding. However I know it is really spring when I have calluses on my hands from the shedding blade. And as I type not only do I have calluses on my hands but my hands are actually both tired and sore from gripping the shedding blade so much today! Some of the horses are shedding a lot and some are shedding a little but the shedding blade, shedding daisy and curry combs are all working overtime these days.

Few tasks are more satisfying than de-fuzzing a woolly horse while enjoying fabulous weather. Nothing motivates you more to keep going than the super shedders, where your pile of hair grows with every swipe you take. After working on a super shedder it is somewhat disappointing to work away on a horse that isn't shedding nearly much.

For those who have asked for a Miracle update she is doing well. She is very friendly and quite spunky. Despite the fact that she is "kid broke" under saddle she has been taught very little in the way of ground manners. We've been practicing walk when I walk, stop when I stop, etc. Next we'll work on having our hooves handled, she also needs to learn how to tie, etc. so we have plenty of things to keep us occupied. I don't drill her, just spend 10 to 15 minutes working on the basics. As a friend of mine said it is no surprise that they can ride her into the ground without bothering to teach her anything else, not to mention the other horrors she was subjected too.

Tuesday morning I was working in the barn and Miracle was in a stall. She was tired and I could tell she needed to sleep. She did lay down but made sure her head was positioned on the hay. She fought to keep her little eyelids open even though she was clearly exhausted. She did not want to stop eating and this was why she was fighting sleep. She lay on her side in the stall in dead horse position, still picking up bites of hay and eating. She never eats particularly fast but she rarely stops eating. It was so sad watching her fight sleep, taking bites of hay while down. Hopefully the emotional scars of hunger will fade for her over time.

I hope everyone has a lovely weekend. I see many hours with the shedding blade in my weekend outlook!

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A video of Miracle racing around in a paddock. At the 13 second mark she jumps the goats' teeter totter - she's a spunky little girl!

Regis and Noble playing

Sky and Miracle hanging out together; Sky was introduced to Miracle yesterday and she has babysitting duties for now

Silky and MyLight

another run-in shed under construction
Gus, Chimano, Romeo and Asterik

Clayton napping in the morning sun

Justin

Cuff Links and Harmony

Tiny, Romeo and Johnny

Murphy and Dutch

Rocky, Toledo and Kennedy

Some of the hair I removed from Lily today; the pictures simply do not do justice to the massive mound of Lily hair that was on the floor and we still have a lot more hair to go!

Welcome Home Miracle

Today Miracle had an ending and a beginning. Her time at Sunkissed Acres came to an end today. Lori, the founder of Sunkissed Acres Rescue, did an amazing job of rehabilitating Miracle and getting her healthy and strong enough to move on to her new life. When one chapter ends a new one begins, and today was the beginning of Miracle's new life with us.


The big question Jason and I wrestled with was which trailer to take? The Featherlite stock trailer or the 2 horse straight load? There were certainly pros and cons to each one. In the end we took the stock trailer and I'm glad we did as she seemed to travel well in it.

Jason and Miracle meeting each other today

This morning Jason and I had the pleasure of meeting Miracle in person for the first time. Lori had told us she was turning into quite the little diva and boy was she right. Miracle assumes that everyone who drives into Sunkissed Acres is there to see her, and as soon as we got out of the truck she was at the gate whinnying and trying to get our attention. Of course we obliged her and immediately went over to say hello. Miracle is quickly forgetting her humble beginnings and trotted and pranced around her paddock, tossing her head and showing off. Then she would come over to Lori, Jason and I and demand more scratches. Lori has already spoiled her rotten!

One of the other residents at Sunkissed, Heart, wandered over and hung out with Miracle on the other side of the gate. They mouthed each other and exchanged hellos, and then hung out together for awhile. Heart then wandered away and Miracle went back to strutting her stuff in the paddock.

As we watched her it was hard to believe that a couple of months ago she was so starved, weak and abused she could not stand up on her own. This was the horse that had to be drug onto a piece of plywood and then slid onto the trailer. I remember Lori posting on her website that they were going to give Miracle two days to make a significant turnaround or she would be euthanized. She wanted to give her a shot at life but also not make her suffer for nothing.

Miracle is a fighter and she chose life. Thank you to Mr. Gurley for responding to the ad for a "kid broke" horse for $150. He was the one who started Miracle on her road from hell to heaven. When he saw Miracle he convinced the owners to just give her to him so he could give her a decent burial. Then he slid her onto the board and onto his trailer.

Endless thank yous to Lori, not only for nursing Miracle back to life but for saving so many others. So many heartbreaking stories are walking around at Sunkissed Acres. Where would these animals be if Lori had not been there willing to give them a chance?

Although we don't know exactly how old Miracle is she is very young, Lori's vet guesses about 10 months. It is possible she may have spinal cord damage since she has already been ridden literally into the ground. But then again she might not. Thanks to her rough start in life early onset arthritis is certainly a possibility as well. Her growth may be stunted due to her extreme starvation. Or she may be lucky and have no lasting effects from her horrendous start in life. Only time will tell. For now her job is to enjoy life and have fun.

Welcome home Miracle!

Below is a collection of pictures, starting with Miracle's life in the stock trailer, unable to stand, and ending with pictures from today. Enjoy!

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The beginning. Miracle lived in the stock trailer for two days before Lori and Mr. Gurley felt comfortable trying to get her out. She could not stand on her own.

Starved and abused with horrible wounds and so close to death

A couple of days later in her makeshift sling courtesy of the engine hoist in Mr. Gurley's garage.

Mr. Gurley and Miracle at Sunkissed Acres. She was able to move from the Gurley's garage to Sunkissed Acres after a couple of weeks.
In a stall at Sunkissed Acres
Enjoying some turnout at Sunkissed Acres
Napping at Sunkissed Acres
Miracle still had a lot of recovering to do. She was so weak and atrophied that there were still days where she could not get up on her own and needed help.
One day some nice guys from the Chattooga County Water Dept. came to Sunkissed to help Lori get Miracle on her feet. Lori said they came saying they didn't know anything about horses and they left saying "you can do it Miracle, and we'll be back to help you anytime."
Taken this morning at Sunkissed Acres. Miracle making her pointy-nosed "I like scratches" face
Heart the Hinney, a resident at Sunkissed since 2008, was one of Miracle's self appointed babysitters. Jason and I watched as she went over to hang out with Miracle and provide her with some company. Heart is another sad story. She was left chained to a tree in the woods and abandoned without food or water. When she became to weak to stand or defend herself some dogs started to eat her while she was still alive. She was covered in maggots. Three years later Heart has the run of Sunkissed Acres, and she lets newcomers like Miracle know that she has finally made it to a good place.
Miracle loaded on the trailer and ready to travel today in her new Quillin's halter and a fly mask
Jason and Lori are fellow Canadians so we paused for some "Oh Canada" pictures. One in front of the Canadian flag on our truck . . .
. . . and one in front of Lori's golf cart that sports a Canadian flag
Lori giving Miracle a last pat goodbye
We stopped for a quick bite to eat at Burger King about halfway home. We ate by the trailer with Miracle and Jason shared some of his french fries with her. She ate each one he offered her. After the third one I told him not to feed her any more french fries!
Miracle stretching her legs in a paddock after her trip home today