Day !00 Aug 28,2011

Here we are at the end of 100 days, and the end of my horse.
All 3 of us had a great time. Thanks to this blog, I now have a donkey that is no longer afraid of the crazy woman with that little back box in her hands. Now if I could only get him to cross the double yellow line in the middle of the road so he can go for a ride with us on the greenbelt:)
 I bet the boys will be happy not having a camera in their faces everyday.

   I
will
start
   a
new
blog

Day 99 Aug 27,2011

We are coming to the end of 100 days with Horse (and Donkey), this is very sad for me.
 I have so enjoyed sharing my crazy critters, my photos, my thoughts, tangents and even I hope you learned something or got a good laugh.  I have never claimed to be an artist I alway said I was AuRTistic. I thought I was just some crazy person, (like my animals) who took photos from an odd angle. Your comments and complements have been so wonderful and gives me strength & inspiration to keep on writing and taking more photos.

 This is my very 1st time showing my photos and writing to the world, I was apprehensive at 1st.
(Sorry, Facebook don't count. I know all 800 of my friends. haha )
100 days of photos and thoughts! My god what a task!  Hell, I never even took an art class so this was one big assignment for me. I found this project to be so inspiring!!!!

This will not be my last blog I will do more.

I think these two are turning their backs to us cause they want this to continue……..

Day 98 Aug 26,2011

Another wonderful photo that I had to include in this blog.
Miss Tilly, would lay down and take naps next to my cement calf and that crazy plastic penguin.
She was a wonderful goat in the end. Like all of my crazy animals. I get them and they are so messed up or neurotic. After some time living in paradise they shed their quirks, become more relaxed and learn to trust. Or maybe I'm an animal whisperer! Hell if I know but all of my animals are in a way messed up in the beginning and almost human when I'm done with them.

When I 1st got her she would bite. I have worked with goats for many years and she was the 1st goat to bite me they normally butt.

 I had arguments with her to trim her hoofs, brush out her undercoat in the spring. She just didn't trust, it took me a year to get her to trust me. In the end she wanted to be brushed and as for hoof trimming . Well, that was not a task either of us enjoyed but she did let me trim her hoofs without a fight because she did notice that her legs didn't hurt as much with a trimmed hoof. She also was arthritic. It was one of the 2 . She trusted me or she was so old she just didn't have the fight left. Naw, she was a bitch. She did trust me  tho and she was old. Not many people could get close to her, unless you had a peppermint candy. Bless her heart.  

Day 97 Aug 25,2011

These shots I had to include.

Mr. Merl he was an old rescue cat who was found in a horse barn with a bunch of ferrel cats. He was caught, neutered and his ear was clipped. I got him from a "No Kill" Shelter. He was returned to the shelter 2 times before I adopted him. He was a cat who was more of a dog but was really a human. 

And said MARE with a scratchy voice not meow. When I 1st got him he gerbiled my books. Huh, now that I think back. I wonder if he and donkey have the same issues? Or did the cat tell donkey that he must eat paper as the goat told donkey to clean the ashtrays. 

 He is now my Dead cat who was my ½ dead cat.  I know that sounds crass. But when you have nursed an old animal thru years of health issues wondering if this is it, you become…. Well…… prepared for that time.

He was 17 yrs old, diabetic for 6 yrs, arthritic and a black spot on his lung to boot. I decided to treat his diabetic and related issues only. This cat would not die, he had many a close calls and every time the vet would tell me, I don't think he will make it. Damned if he wouldn't pull thru. 

He was a cat that WOULD NOT DIE. 

 We had the best vet that anyone could ask for. And she was astonished and always said that he was a medical wonder & that his issues must be canceling each other out.

I have been waiting for him to tell me "this is it" now for 5 years. This year it happened a brain tumor was the thing that was his demise. I'm very proud of this cat and how he lived his entire life with dignity to the very last day of his 999 lives.

Day 96 Aug 24,2011

 He reminds me a dog or cat cleaning himself.
 I should have put this photo up in Day 93 with Chester Laying down. I just realized that he was doing the same thing. Oh well, silly me for not paying attention.

He is so damned cute.

Day 95 Aug 23,2011

Now this a view that you won't see everyday

Day 94 Aug 22,2011

Here I am pushing my luck. I really am only inches away from hind hoof.

Day 93 Aug 21,2011

We have been in each others lives now for 6 years and this is the only time I have caught him taking a nap in the yard in person and I was so lucky to be able to get a photo and to top it off to be able to get so close.

Day 92 Aug 20,2011

Have you ever shared your Latte with a donkey?

He just discovered this drink, Thankfully he didn't take a taste. Horse, on the other hand has a taste for my coffee drinks and when I go to take a sip there is green slobber in my coffee. My god horse if you wanted one I would have made you one. Tea for two? Nope soon it will be coffee for 3.

Day 91 Aug 19,2011

 I find the art of a farrier fascinating and very colorful.

Day 90 Aug 18,2011

I got donkey from a donkey rescue for horse, 1 month before this project started.  I was ready to get rid of him he was such an ass, he redecorated the barn by ripping out windows, chewing on the wood, ripping down the art and eating it. He had the worst manners ever, I swear he never had any ground work. His was tight lipped and would bite your hand when hand feeding, not maliciously tho he was not gentile he would run away when trying to put a halter on him.
 He was living up to his name. But thru this project and deciding he has to stay for the project and give him time to learn the rules of my home and horses home.
Rule #1 respect me and everyone else including horse and dogs! Ok foxes and coyotes can be chased out of yard.
 Rule #2 this is my stall not yours only your head is allowed in my stall.
Rule #3 we all use the bathroom in a certain place. Now I must elaborate on this Horse is a very clean animal he will not shit in his stall. He will walk outside and back up to a corner and do his business and if he is in the yard the same there, he will walk over to the flower beds and shit there. The only time when horse will mess up his stall he is mad about something. Example: when his goat was in heat and she was just screaming for a man to service her  then I would find shit in his stall.
 It took donkey a long time to learn that, I think horse gave him a lecture.

So now we are almost at the end of the 100 days and the verdict?
Donkey stays he has become a very gentile and loving critter with a great sense of humor.
How could I not fall in love with a critter who has a taste for boxes?

Day 89 Aug 17,2011

 More scratching. Nothing is safe from an itchy donkey.

Day 88 Aug 16,2011

 Itches what can one scratch on? Ask donkey he thinks everything!

Day 87 Aug 15,2011

Here is an example how poor horse's skin reacts to those fly bites. He is so thin skinned he is effected more so than donkey who is very thick skinned.

Now for those of you who have leather jackets if you go and look at the hide you will find little circles on your jacket those are mosquito or fly bites.

Day 86 Aug 14,2011

We have these damn little black flies that look like house flies. Or as I call the shit flies, But these little bastards BITE! Where they bite your skin will swell and your all itchy. Poor donkey they love him. I do put fly spray on them 2x a day to keep those pesky things away.

Day 85 Aug 13,2011

You all know how horse like to take his naps with his head in house. Well, here you have proof horses drool in their sleep also. But his is a green slobber that puddles onto the wood floor. Good thing I have a dog that will clean it up for me. Hahaha

Day 84 Aug 12,2011

This is one of those shots were you have to think about what you're looking at. I know what it is, do you?

Day 83 Aug 11,2011

His Man O War impression.
 I think he did a great job.

Day 82 Aug 10,2011

And now for something completely different 

Day 81 Aug 9,2011

Horse is a real goof. He will graze where the sprinkler is and when it comes around he will try to stay in front of the water. He isn't always successful as you can see here. I love the colors and texture of his fur when he gets hit.

Day 80 Aug 8,2011

Here we have the craziest love affair of all, Hammer and Miss Tilly. And what is so strange about this affair is goat was frightened to death of dogs. The last dog bit her ear off. She always ran away when she saw a dog. Hammer showed her it was O.K. to open up and trust again.
Goat was horse's friend and dog was goat's friend. Horse was jealous of dog but tolerated him.

We all have a friend who comes into our lives who make such a big impression. They just make things feel right you know you can trust them. And we don’t really realize how they have effected you till they are gone. There is a big hole here at the ranch with her gone. You are so dearly missed.

Day 79 Aug 7,2011

I would now like to introduce Miss Tilly. When I got horse he was a neurotic crazy man he would pace the fence back and forth till he was in a lathered sweat and grinding his teeth.

 I knew I had to get him a friend. The Problem was, He HATED other horses. Hell if I know why but he just is an ass when it comes to his species. My neighbor suggested Tilly a goat she rescued. I introduced the 2 and they hated each other. So I separated them for a while and tried again. Magic happened they fell in LOVE.

They were inseparable, he still paced not like before and he was more at ease.

Where ever horse was there was goat within eyeshot. If he couldn’t see her he would run around looking for her. And her him.

Here they are taking a nap at the door and you can see my monster chickens in the background.

Day 78 Aug 6,2011

Horse as you all know likes to hang out with me with his head in the house. He will come up and slam the door open and it would slam into the wall.
My dear friend came over and fixed that, now door will bounce back on horse he finds that game even more fun. You can imagine what damage those carbide shoes of his can do to a wood floor. He basically wants me to go outside and play with him. He likes to play chase in the yard. Now if I could only teach him to play fetch.

Day 77 Aug 5,2011

My Dad and Sandy came out one year to visit and they parked their winnebago in Chester's pasture.
Chester thought that was the greatest thing in the whole wide world he had humans for roommates. Well, in a way.  He would walk around the vehicle in the morning and look in the windows trying to get them to wake up and join him outside and he would even stick his head in to visit when the door was open.  So this started the whole thing of Chester joining me in the house.

 Chester had to be apart of the haircut but it was his nap time so he passed out, resting his head on Sandy's shoulder as she was trying to Dads hair. Sandy said she didn't want to wake him so she held him up as he slept and tried to cut dads hair at the same time.

Day 76 Aug 4,2011

Watch it he will steal your soda and your beer.

Day 75 Aug 3,2011

As you all know by now Horse is a very personable horse. He needs his daily naps as any child needs and we all know how the get into that hyper tired mode. Well, this is what horse will do when he is in the hyper tired mode. He gets into everything.  15 min later he was out like a light.

Day 74 Aug 2,2011

 Who is that donkey in there? Do I know him?

 I must investigate.

She has one big stall. What? I can't come in why the hell not? You're coming into my stall all of the time.

Day 73 Aug 1,2011

Damages, Damn donkey ate his portrait. I don't know what it is with him and paper products but he sure likes them.

Day 72 July 31,2011

I keep forgetting that there isn't a program that I have to turn a video so you all have to lay on your side to watch Dino supplement his diet w/ cardboard. and the horse will demand that I pay attention to him and you be back upright again.  

Day 71 July 30,2011

Well, I guess its true for donkeys also the water is better from the toilet.

Day 70 July 29,2011

How can you not love this soft muzzle. That gets INTO EVERYTHING.

Day 69 July 28,2011

Chester used to have a goat to keep him company. She was as thick headed and as stubborn as this donkey. She used to eat cigarette butts and eat the ashes out of the fire pit. Why? Hell if I know.

Donkey has never met goat, she passed away a month before he arrived. So when I saw him playing with the ashtray is made me wonder if she left him a note that he was to keep the ashtrays clean. Or is this just some strange coincidence that horse's companions like to get into the same things?

Day 68 July 27,2011

I come home the other day, I walk up to my roommates room to tell her I'm home and this is what I find. Horse watching TV with my roommate and her boyfriend. I wonder if Chester enjoyed watching Nurse Jackie as much as we did?

Day 67 July 26,2011

Another crazy photo. We met a man TALLER than horse. This dude is 7'4".
I love how he makes horse look so small.

Day 66 July 25,2011

This here is Mother Theresa, who saved my ass when Horse thew me the 1st time while we were on the greenbelt 5 years ago.
I was dumped on the trail and he took off like a bat outta hell. He was heading home and fast. I was scared shitless, home was 8 blocks & across a very busy street away.
 She was sitting watching TV she heard his  thundering hoofs on the pavement and she knocked her friend off the couch & flew out the door and yelled "HEY Where are You going?" at horse as he ran by. He stopped, looked at her, turned around and walked right up to her as if he was on a leisurely walk in the neighborhood. She had her kids give him treats while she went looking for me on the trail on her sons BMX bicycle.
I was so worried about horse and Theresa was worried about me. Her house became a MUST STOP for horse for a few years till she moved. I haven't seen her for a year or so now. He was very happy to see her. As he was rubbing his head all over her clean T-shirt she was telling me how much she loved him and she still has the photo I gave her as a Thank You present and that he wasn't a horse but a human in a horses body.

I got a tag for his bridle that very next day and carried my cell phone with me. As I mentioned in Day 40.