friday the 13th

Happy Sunday, folks! And just a quick friday foto finish sunday snapshot summary today. I would have posted sooner but… Had my hands just a little full, because……….:::

resistance is futile

Omg I finally got a new kitten <3 <3 <3

so are focused pictures LOL

Obvi this is a horse blog, more or less narrowly focused on documenting that aspect of my life. But ya know. My blog, my rules, and I also like capturing key moments, milestones, memories, etc etc etc.

fierce creature

I didn’t really document in real time my longtime kitty Martini’s battle with cancer, and his eventual passing. Nor did I post much about adopting a new kitty companion, Jojo, to fill the hole Martini left in my and OG’s life. Bc, ya know, I figured I had a lifetime ahead with Jojo, little snapshots would just filter into the blog, as they have with my cats for the last 10 years.

“what the fuck is that” — OG, for sure lol

But then Jojo broke all our hearts when after just four months together, he went into acute distress and was diagnosed at the emergency clinic with late stage heart failure. Talk about a gut punch.

kitten may or may not be nicknamed donald trump bc he just starts kissing, doesn’t even say hello first LOL

Obvi that was unexpected in many ways, and it left me a bit flummoxed about what to do next. Introducing adult kitties is a challenge, and honestly a bit of a gamble… but we’d done everything by the book and all signs pointed toward longterm happiness with the kitties. 

apparently still hard to take a picture even when sleeping

It had been a lot of work tho, and honestly a lot of stress too, esp for sweet OG. So we took the last few months to figure out whether it seemed like he wanted to be an only kitty or if he needed a friend again. 

“for real, tho, what the fuck” — OG, secretly excited by the enrichment

Obvi if you’re reading this, you’ll know we landed on, “Let’s get him a friend.”

already a pest while i try to work <3

And this time it’s just a little kitten instead of a young adult cat. The kitten is essentially a blank slate, no baggage or past trauma, and no expectations other than shelter, food and love. Wish us luck!

speaking of pests <3 <3 <3, it’s the Mamacita herself, Ms Señorita! 

Maybe it’s just the season, tho, but I’m feeling optimistic. The days are longer, the weather is getting more mild… More bipolar, sure — we may or may not have gone from 80*F to snowing and 30*F in 24hrs last week… But conditions are so markedly improved that the outdoor arena footing was rideable again even just two days after that storm!

stop the presses bc we are OUTSIDE OMG, and the footing is PERFECT!!

Which means that, as of at least this writing, we’ve now logged TWO rides outside just in the last week!!! Considering the ring had been too soggy and wet since, uh, *checks notes* at least November, this is a pretty big step!

this actual literal pile of poles is probably not the safest jump construction in the world, but who cares, jompies outside!!!

And I swear Doozy is happier out there. Like, she’s still who she is — distracted and a little ADHD and as eager as ever to leap off into the unknown… But she’s maybe less spooky? 

outdoor ring is bounded on all sides by turnout, meaning no matter where you are it always has a ‘horse safe’ feeling

It’s also so nice to have a little more room to feel like we can ride more forward, while still testing that the responsiveness to the aids still works. And guys, it feels like the schooling is really truly still working! 

nosiest mare in the world, spying on her bebe morgan friend at the far end

I’m trying to do better about being clear in my aids, consistent in my expectations, and more steady and still in my posture. 

Dan really hammered me in our last lesson about how much my seat and position moved side to side with Doozy’s movement. My thought had been that it was better to stay fluid and soft if Doozy was going to be so rigid and tense, but Dan said it’s actually the opposite — I needed to be fixed and still and ‘in one place’ so that Doozy could come to me, rather than my aids kinda bouncing all over the place.

speaking of bebe morgan friend, she’s growing up too!

Aaaand go figure, the professional was right LOL. And honestly if you read that last lesson recap, it was a real test for us — with so many distractions and chaotic happenings going on while we tried to trot our circles. It was a real struggle, but honestly it feels like we both learned a LOT from that experience — especially Doozy. And especially about the consistency, safety and security of coming onto the aids even when we’d rather be distracted and flighty.

it’s all ahead of us!

So things are feeling positive. Lots to look forward to, hopefully. On little nibble, one little milestone inch-Pebble at a time!