It's SEPTEMBER!!!!! Wow! Has it really been a whole month since I've been here???
I decided to give blogging a break for the entire month of August. I wanted to absorb all the new things fully that were changing my life, and I didn't want to try to convey how I felt about it all in the moment. That being said, August was absolutely FABULOUS.
First off, I started my first ever 'horse handling' training on August 1st. I was scared, anxious, intimidated, and completely out of my comfort zone all while working with horses that I had no relationship with at all. It was a great experience, and after sweating bullets, I realized that I lived through it, and came out of it understanding a bit more about the nature of horses, all while making a new friend!
I started back running in the month of August, BUT that only lasted about a week...so...let's move on!
I started the process of getting my house fixed to where I would not have skunk tenants next spring as I did this year and last year.... Yes, the skunks came back....and brought a family of opossum with them. In the process of sealing up all the holes, which I hired Byram Wildlife Removal to set the traps and perform an exclusion service on my home which I was very pleased with.
The exclusion was done in stages, and before the home was completely sealed, and traps were set to catch any critters coming out from under the house at night, I came home early one morning from a run and noticed a pair of eyes reflecting the light from my car.....upon closer look, it was a baby opossum! I walked around the house and found three that morning. In the days to come I caught 8 baby opossum and a young armadillo! Click on any image of the opossums below for more info on how you can help by donating to the sweet gal who took in my critters for rehabbing and eventually release. Please consider making a small donation for her cause! She operates solely on donations!
You know I just HAD to capture the release! This was a HUGE deal for me!!
It was my birthday week and we celebrate birthdays by the week.... first I went to Nashville with Christian.........it was our first time staying anywhere through airbnb, and we had a great experience! This is where we stayed (click on either pic for more info):
................ and we got a cool special tour of Third Man Records! Wowza!!
We ate some good BBQ..............
...some hella-good Mexican food...........
...and coffee from this cool place called Barista Parlor....
....annnnd then ended the week back at casa de Thrasher Menagerie for a homemade chocolate cake with sea salt caramel icing....
After my birthday week, I went back to my normal old routine of a little thrifting here and there, my new routine of regular horse handling practice things, and my Sunday Sweet Stuffs... I made this gallette from apples picked from the backyard.....
...this is Zella. She is one of my friend's horses that I have been working with and has the patience of a Saint. She withstood my green ways of trying to get her to understand me, and at the end of this session, I had a way clearer understanding of how to communicate with Rose...
Homer. Ohhhhh Homer! I love this boy! Also a resident where I am learning all about horse handling and safety... Those EARS!!!!
Just regular ol' Ghirardelli dark chocolate chip cookies from a Sweet Stuff Sunday....
...and example of my doting on Rose..... Saturday's are Rose's 'spa' days. I try to spend a good hour messing with her after a short little 15 minute session trying to be successful in communicating with her and teaching her commands.
Spirulina is calming down a bit more these days and is becoming more of a regular cat. SHe started out TOTALLY wild and thankfully she is warming up to being inside now after those brutal, almost fatal attacks from the local wild animals...
...the garden is getting prepped and cleaned out for either a Fall garden or a nice Spring one. I can't decide how much work I want to commit to at the moment....
...and ol' Eddie Ray is the perfect little companion for goat and horse observing in the field. I even taught him to fetch at his old age!!!
Every day therapy session. Hammock time is essential when you spend your days in an office under fluorescent lighting....
It was a great month of self reflection, birthday celebrations, new beginnings, a new friendship, and continuing to work through my grief about my dad. The horse work has been monumental in my healing and I look forward to each and every new thing learned about the relationship she had with my dad. It is clear and evident that he worked with Rose more than he ever let us know. It's pretty magical actually to still be learning so much good about my dad's life in his absence. August was a really great month!
No comments:
Post a Comment