Rough Month

No, I didn't fall off the face of the earth.

Tax season ended April 17, just over a month ago.  Since then I spent a couple weeks doing some much-needed work at the Ranch, primarily installing cabinets in the garage and finally getting some semblance of order in there.  Things tend to pile up during tax season and I was desperate to put order to my scattered tools.

Then I went to California to do some accounting work.  I've sub taught four times in the past month.  I made several trips to the valley (100 miles away) to visit my sister's 95 year old mother-in-law, who was in a rehab center recovering from a broken hip and the surgery to fix it.

And then last Saturday my parents were in a car accident that has left my mother still in the hospital a week later, suffering from 10 broken ribs -- not a good thing in an 88 year old woman.  My father suffered a few cuts from glass but is otherwise unhurt.

Two days later my sister's mother-in-law had a stroke.

I spent three days in the valley last weekend, Saturday through Monday, returned on Wednesday, then again yesterday.

Last night the mother-in-law passed away.  A very sweet woman who lived a very long and full life has gone on to a better place.

My own mother seems to be improving and is being moved from ICU to a regular room tonight, and hopefully to her own rehab center by Tuesday or Wednesday.

I canceled a planned vacation that was to start this week.

Anyway . . . it's been a very hectic and stressful month since my last post.  At least all the animals have been fine.  I wish I had time to ride one of them!

This evening I will experience the total eclipse of the sun.  I might do one of those things where you watch the shadow cast by the light going through a hole in a piece of paper or cardboard.  But somehow that just doesn't seem to be all that exciting, and actually watching the eclipse could leave me blind so I may give it one quick glance when I think it's complete and I can say I "saw" the eclipse, which sounds like it's pretty much a once in a lifetime thing to see.

Hopefully smoke from the several fires won't obscure it.  Although that might make for a unique experience too.  Last week the smoke from the Sunflower fire drifted across and the sun was a bright red spot behind the haze, appearing about the size of a dime.  Guess maybe we had a different kind of eclipse that day.

Anyway . . . there's been no time or energy for blogging this past month, and things will continue to be chaotic until my mother gets home again.

And that's the latest from the Ranch.

Cantering old Dottie

It's been nearly three years since the time I cantered Dottie under a rider and it felt like she was bucking.  I tried again bareback in case the saddle was the problem, and when the problem persisted I decided her arthritis was too bad for her to canter any more.  So she was put on walk-trot only.  She was sent to Oregon after that, where her arthritis worsened and she was retired from work there.

I brought her home this past October and she was introduced to the miraculous HA shot that eased her arthritis and restored her usefulness.  Several weeks ago I rode her again, and have had her out on the trails about three times before today, but only at a walk and the occasional spontaneous trot.

Today I took her out and we rode all the way to the wash and for the first time since 2009 . . . we cantered.

She fell in and out of it a few times but she actually cantered without any stiffness or hopping for quite a ways, then pranced all the way home.  She's feeling great and I couldn't be happier for her.

She's so much spunkier than either of her daughters, yet completely controllable, stopping and standing any time I asked her to, but ready to move right out at the slightest touch.

I think I may offer her to my dressage trainer for their summer kids' program, I think she'd enjoy that.  But it's clear to me that this horse is a lot happier being used than retired.

And that's the latest from the Ranch.

Final results on Dash's situation

No surgery.

The ultrasound today shows the ovary back to a within-normal-range size and the conclusion is that it was, indeed, a corpus luteum, although the largest one my own vet and two equine reproductive specialists he consulted with had ever seen.

But no need for surgery.  And her symptoms of discomfort have disappeared.  I think her urine volume is still a bit low but that may be the result of her emptying her bladder when it wasn't really FULL for the last four months so it may need to just stretch a bit.  It may have lost a little elasticity in the meantime so I'm not overly concerned about that.

Anyway, it's a relief.  While I was willing to do the spay, the last horse I sent to surgery never came home and there's always a risk of something going amiss in any surgery.

And that's the latest from the Ranch.

Work gets in the way

I can't wait till Tuesday.

What's so special about Tuesday, you ask?

Tuesday is the end of tax season.  The Suburban Cowgirl in real life is an accountant and tax preparer and these last two weeks have been crunch time for me, and it won't be over until Tuesday, the 17th.  I'll spare you the explanation of why it is the 17th, not the 15th; you can thank the residents of Washington DC for that.  Go Google it if you don't know the reason.

But to update the Dash saga . . . after consulting with some equine reproductive specialists and sending blood to the best lab in the country, the lab results did not indicate a reason for the ovary issue.  So the specialist suggested treating it as if it were a lingering corpus luteum (google it) so she had a series of three shots this past weekend that will shrink it, if that's what this is.

Nobody seems to think it is, but better to treat what can be simply treated instead of jumping to surgery only to find it was just a CL.

So that's where we are now.  Next Thursday we will do another ultrasound.  If it did shrink, it was a CL, and all will be fine.  If it did not shrink . . . it will have to come out.

Oh, BTW, we're getting snow Saturday.  Those robins in my orchard lied.  It's not spring at all yet, no matter what the calendar says.

And now I have tax returns to do.

And that's the latest from the Ranch.

Still waiting....

Insurance company required blood tests for Dash.  Still waiting for lab results.  Thought we'd have them Thursday but no word yet.

New boarder coming in tomorrow, another horse named Dakota.  My girls will have a boyfriend again.

And that's all from the Ranch for now.

Not such a great birthday present

Most people would get their horse a bag of carrots or a new bridle for their birthday, but Dash got an ultrasound.

For the last nearly three months Dash has been "off."  Not really sick, but not quite herself, sleeping a lot, standing like she was in discomfort, and seemed to have difficulty peeing.  But most of the time was fine, and I've been riding her when weather permits.

After ruling out things with blood tests and urine tests, today we did an ultrasound and discovered her left ovary was the size of a softball.  Normally they should be about the size of a golf ball, maybe a little bigger than that.

We're waiting to hear what the insurance company wants to do next but spaying is a likely option, which would be fine with me since I don't ever plan to breed from her and had been thinking of having her spayed anyway due to some hormonal behaviors over the last few years (that might actually be related to this problem.)

Dottie and Dawn are fine, fat and lazy and shedding, but they're going to have to stop being lazy now since I won't be riding Dash until this gets resolved.  The other day I rode her and it was the ride from hell which has NEVER happened with her before, and I think she was in pain. 

Hopefully we'll be able to treat her quickly, even if that means spaying, and get her more comfortable soon.

And that's the latest from the Ranch.

Happy birthday, Dash and Bugsy!

Today is Dash's eighth birthday and my cat Bugsy's ninth.  Dash got carrots, Bugsy will have his favorite canned tuna cat food later on, and I ate the birthday cake.

Those two are my "favorites."  I know, a good mom wouldn't have favorites, but Dash is clearly my favorite horse and Bugsy has just been through so much with me.  He's the only cat left who moved here with me from Norco; the other two, Miss Kitty and Munchkin, have both gone on to the Rainbow Bridge.

Bugsy is the one who will come when called (well, Max usually does too), who sleeps with me every night (so does Max), and who will fall asleep wrapped in my arms (Max has done that once or twice too).  But Bugsy is the one who knows when I'm a bit down and will seek me out and get in my lap and just be there for me.  Little Max is not yet two and hasn't achieved Bug's level of sensitivity yet.

Bugsy is the one who, if for whatever reason I could only have ONE of the animals I have now, is the one I would choose.

I hope I will never have to make such a decision because I love all my animals and would live in my car before I'd give any of them up.

Dash is a very close second.  I hope when I retire to get one of those humongous living quarters horse trailers, load up Dash and my cats and dogs (Dottie will probably be gone by then and Dawn hopefully sold) and go traveling.

And now, Bugs is in my lap and I need to give him his birthday kisses.

And that's the latest from the Ranch.