Random Silliness

I don't post many videos because my internet connection is not great and I have trouble uploading them.  However, I am trying to upload some of them so that I can switch them to my new computer, which I still haven't plugged in yet because it just seems too overwhelming at the moment.  I may keep sharing them here as they get uploaded, barring major computer crash, which could happen at any time as this is still the old computer with the dying hard drive. These are both bits of random silliness taken last winter when we were all bonkers from cabin fever.

A Happily Broken Record

Time for some good news.  Ramsey broke a record this year - for the first time in his life he made it all the way through November and December without getting an abscess.  It might seem like a small thing, but it is a bit of a triumph.  His foot is doing well.

He still needs very careful trimming to keep everything in balance, but that is not new, nor will it ever change.

Since his fetlock turns inward and the hoof turns outward, I always leave the medial (on the right) wall unbeveled to give him added support and keep the hoof from turning under.  The lateral wall (on the left) gets trimmed very short to keep stress off of it, as that is where the coffin bone is missing and the wall has poor connection.  I keep the toe short to make break over as easy as possible.  The result might look like I've only trimmed half the foot, but this keeps him sound and keeps the hoof from becoming distorted.

You can see how, all along the left side of the foot, the hoof wall just doesn't connect well.  It never will since he is missing a third of his coffin bone.  The back of the foot looks a bit ugly right now as he is shedding the frog, but that is normal for this time of year and it will grow back.

It may not be the prettiest foot ever, but we made it through the Fall mud season without an abscess for the first time ever.  I hope I am jinxing us, but this was a record I was very pleased to break.  I hope we can continue the pattern for a very long time.

Clean Sweep

The past few months have been a bit rough and the first week of 2016 has already brought a lot of loss.  I learned today that one of Tanner's remaining brothers has passed on.  At thirteen, it is not completely unexpected, but sad all the same.  There is other sad news that I have not mentioned because who needs more sadness in their lives?  But, it is all weighing on me and I think I need to just write it all down and get it out of my head.  Feel free to skip all of this and come back later for more fun posts.

In September, I learned that the man I buy hay from passed away.  Some of you may recall that he got hurt badly by one of his cows, but was recovering.  Then, complications developed and suddenly he was gone.  People like to think of cows as slow, simple, bucolic creatures.  They can be dangerous as hell and when they go after someone, it is fast as a striking snake with much less warning.

I am not sure why this got to me so much.  I did not know this man particularly well, but I have been dealing with him for several years now and he always struck as a tremendously kind and decent man, which is a very rare thing these days.  His wife was with him the last time he was here and they were both people who could have become good friends.  I am sure his loss has been a terrible tragedy for her and the rest of his family.

Not long after I heard about that, Oliver disappeared.  I didn't think much of it at first, given his wandering ways, but he has been gone for over two months now.  I think he used up one life too many.  I wasn't going to say anything, but a couple of people have already asked about him, so I guess you all should know. I like to think he found a warm spot to move into and just decided to stay there, but I know it isn't true.  It's odd really, I am not much of a cat person and I was highly annoyed when he first showed up, but he managed to do what few cats ever have and wormed his way into my affections. I knew that was a bad idea, he was bad news right from the start.  Isn't that always the way?

So, what is one to do when the world feels sad and out of control?

Clean the barn.

Strip out all the old....

Sweep it all clean....

...and start over.  Again.

The Winners According to Random Chaos

I tried to get Ramsey and Emma to help me choose winners for the World Famous All Purpose Holiday Fudge. I had it all set up to have them pick names out of the traffic cone, but Tessa came over and snarfed up a whole mouthful of names and ATE them before I could stop her.  Then, in a fit of pique at being left out, Ramsey grabbed the cone, shook it up and down and the remaining names all blew away.  Emma managed to catch one, but it too got swallowed before I could could save it.  Since I am quite sure that none of those bits of paper will be legible when they finally make it out the other end, I had to come up with plan B.

I was going to just give up and go to random.org, but the Border Collie saved the day.  Those obsessive-compulsive BC ways do come in handy now and then.  Connor doesn't hide his treasures the way that Tanner did, but he does arrange them.  It took me a while to figure out how to decipher this code and it still holds many mysteries, but I did my best....

This is what I finally came up with, I hope everyone likes it:

There are two stuffed animals, two bones and two (obvious) sticks so the number 2 comment wins some fudge.  That ends up being Aurora.

There are five toys here (I am not counting the sticks anymore because there are some under the blue rabbit that I can't see and I've already made myself crazy trying to figure out if there are 2, 3 or 4 sticks in this picture so, after stressing over it WAY too much, I arbitrarily decided that sticks just don't count anymore. I hope you will understand.) That makes number 5 the next winner.  Congratulations Rebecca2.

The last one was the hardest to figure out since I still have that darned stick problem, but there are five obvious toys/bones arranged in a perfect triangle so....3x5 = 15, which is C-ingspots. 

That's what my interpretation of border Collie logic gets you.  Its a bit of a cross between astrology, psychology and theoretical physics.   

To the winners, please send me your address, my e-mail is aerissana@gmail.com.  I wish I could send you all some fudge, but thank you all for joining in even if you didn't win any this time.

Puppy Connor Conquers

What to Take Into the New Year

I meant to write a New Year's post with lots of pictures and good stuff, but then there was a very sad and incomprehensible loss in our little town and it took the heart right out of me.  I tried, but I found myself instead watching silly puppy videos so I decided to share those - because puppies are joy and that is what the world needs more of.

Connor vs. Muck Bucket...

Connor meets running water...

Along with my favorite picture of 2015, because it makes me laugh Every. Single. Time I see it.

And a bit of the glue that holds it all together. 

These are the things I want to take into the new year with me.  The rest can fade into history.

I wish for all of you the joy of puppy-hood, the warmth of friendship and the strength to carry on.

Happy New Year.

Nosey