Genevieve in Crisis

 One morning, March 8th, Genevieve was in crisis. I loaded her up in the car and left a message at the vet since they were not yet open. I was coming, it would take me about 45 minutes to get there. They took her in right away and set the vet was en-route. She died while the vet was looking at her.

We dug another hole.

Pierre had been in again for weight loss and discomfort. They reported a negative fecal and said he was just getting old. I had planned to take him to a rabbit specialist in Soquel to make sure, before I just waited for him to die, but rushing Genevieve to the vet disrupted my Monday morning plans. I called Soquel and, even though there was not an appointment for weeks, talked him into a Friday appointment. 

The vet is Soquel obtained his records and found that his fecal was not negative, that he was, in fact, carrying a heavy load of protozoal parasites. He was hospitalized for three nights and came home to a regimen of treatments. A week later, he took a downward turn and I rushed him in again. He was hospitalized overnight. 

The vet called in the morning and advised that he was dying. I decided on euthanasia and drove all the way there to say goodbye and bring his body home. 

We dug another hole.

and another

 

and another

 

Another barn

 

and

 

And...

 

Blogging on iPhone, big Fat Nope

 Blogging on iPhone would be super convenient, but its not super easy. So, no. Not happening soon. It's really hard because I feel really stuck. There is the weather and natural disaster, the pandemic, the difficulty of getting the ponies off the mountain and back. Its two hours to the bottom by horse trailer, but only 35 minutes by car. Chronic pain. The Santa Clara County Park system's unwieldy paperwork and procedure needed to drive at the parks on trails that are so limited that some person not thinking, made it impossible to get a carriage from the staging area onto approved trails. The paperwork is pages long, the same form needed to plan the annual corporate BBQ or a Society for Creative Anachronism fair or a Boy Scout Camporee. People who want to ride their horse just have to show up. It all adds up and feels defeating.

Driving Digest print magazine is running a series of heart horses, asking readers to submit. There is a facebook page doing the same. I am lucky to have had three of those: Janow, Maggie, and Yndi. There is no joy in this. They are all gone. I  have three mares here now and none f them are a heart horse. This makes me sad. I have three ponies, its a dream. Why am I sad?

Saddle pad sales are in the toilet. they've been in the toilet for years. Since March 13, 2020, the pandemic has provided an excuse because I don't want to go to the post office. I took them down and put some medallions up so people could sew them on to their saddle pads themselves. Many have mentioned wanting to do that. these can go in a flat mailer and fit through the mail slot so I don't need to drive them 45 minutes to the post office. Nobody really wants to do that. sales=0.

The pandemic made time to make saddle pads so that I could have great new ones to list when things were back to normal. I have made progress on some but finished zero. Not having sold many saddle pads in YEARS and having spent more time in the last two years promoting instead of making is discouraging. I injured my thumb, now I can't do much.

Realizing that a new idea of using mixed media to photograph my saddle pads might just be "it," I decided to learn mixed media. So far, I just watch videos on youtube and buy art supplies. Ble.

I DID start practicing sketching at the beginning of the pandemic. That's something. They aren't great, but I did them. I should do that some more. I share some with you, the imaginary people who read my blog.

What a mess

Nothing has gone smoothly. Nothing. One thing after another, from thieves to disease to natural disaster. I am still here. Kasey the Pirate Bun is not. She got sick on December 26th. Between the holiday and COVID, I couldn't get her the help she needed and she died. Welcome Genevieve, new bun wife to Pierre.

Whiskers the cat was very old. We got her the best vet care but had to let her go. Welcome Olive the tortoise shell ball of energy and pantry fortifications.

Then the ER and overnight hospital stay and the follow up care that required a negative COVID, the results of which were lost and a billing snafu that has sent us to collections and cost thousands more than it was permitted by law.

And the SCU Lightening Complex Fire that had us evacuating 2 rabbits 2 cats 3 ponies 3 goats and a dog at 11 pm in the dark and smoke, and subsequent insurance claim and clean up, and power outage lasting for weeks and no phone for 4 months. Cell tower too far away for service, satellite internet too slow for VOIP.  I had to drive 30 minutes to get a cell signal, so no, you cant call me back later. Two weeks in a hotel with 5 pets, during COVID lockdown. Three and a half weeks for ponies and goats  at a friend's because they wouldn't allow trailers on our road. Oh boy, did she ever come through for me!

The fire burned all around out house and barn, coming within 20 feet, but both are still standing. A doublewide mobile home and a metal shipping container with a wood floor are gone. Lots of trees too. A storage shed with a riding mower melted and flowed sown hill before solidifying again.

There were piles of manure in the pasture that looked white and fell to ash when you touched them with a toe. Stumps of trees left craters where the roots had smoldered underground. Crews were still putting out burning stumps three months later.

Puff the barn cat at lived in the hotel and decided she was not going outside again. Now we have two cats in the house.

So my original goal of conditioning the ponies enough that I could drive them uphill from home this winter, nope, didn't make it.