Everything's bigger in Texas!

I am about to say something that I never, ever, ever, ever, ever, ever in a million years thought would be coming out of my mouth. Ever. EVER.

I freaking love Texas.

That weird icy sound you just heard? That was hell freezing over. (And Nicole, I also just heard your brain implode.)

No, seriously. I had so much fun at my interview that I can't even stand it. ME! The liberal-thinking, lesbionically-inclined, George-Bush-hating superqueer who loves spending time in New York City. I'm bred from good hearty redneck stock on my dad's side (he was the one to be adventurous and do something shocking like, *gasp!* go to college), so I have the county in me despite how sorely I stick out in a crowd of Texans. Everyone spoke to me about how bleak and depressing the landscape here is, but everything I've seen is just beautiful. I know there are plenty of variations in terrain and people, and my brain cannot possibly grasp how enormous Texas is - I am pretty sure from the airport to where the farm is located is about the same mileage as the entire state of Connecticut - but in terms of population and landscape, the place is fantastic. I'm close enough to big cities and towns to not feel like I'm completely in the middle of nowhere, but the farm is out in the country enough to feel completely at peace. My previous concerns about the people were not well-founded. I am sure there are bumpkins that I don't want to cross paths with, but there are plenty of creeps up north that I also want to steer clear of. In terms of hospitality and goodness, everyone I've met down here has a heart of gold. Just don't argue politics with them.

The farm is great. The horses are great. The job is great. The people are great. Did I also mention I get a HOUSE? A real HOUSE? With a FIVE ACRE PASTURE AND A BARN? I have the option of keeping Gogo either at the house or at the farm, both of which are great options. There's too many good choices!!



I'll have more updates as they come. But I'm excited. Really excited! Texas is THE last place on earth I EVER thought I'd end up, but it's crazy how things fall apart and come back together in the perfect way. Everything happens for a reason.... that much I know to be true.


The front of the farm...

Denali's Gift

SO! I am currently in Texas for my interview and heartily enjoying myself, even though my life has been one non-stop migraine-inducing perpetual motion machine for the past week. I will be back in Connectict Saturday night, and then on Sunday I will be able to settle down and really get to work organizing Denali's project - even though she is amazing and hanging on!!!! Go Denali!!!!!

Stay tuned, I am not dead, just close to it!!


EDITED to add: If you did NOT e-mail me the first time around (or even if you did) with a note for Denali's Mom, PLEASE e-mail me again so that I can keep track of everyone! I have loads of donations that I don't have a contact for, and I want to keep everyone in the loop with what we're doing!

End of November Analysis

Uhhhhhhh. Well, as far as goals go, I think last month was THE biggest failure in terms of completion that I've ever had. I guess some things are really just out of my control.


November Goals:

1) Make this the Month of Dressage! Lots of dressage work, focus on correct and confident work, start to add bits of collection back into the mix, practice tests, take lessons, etc!
Well, we STARTED strong... she was going better than ever, feeling stronger and sounder than ever, and giving me some amazing, mind-blowingly excellent movement. We tried to video a bit of my ride the day before she came up dead lame, and my camera battery died mid-attempt. Sigh.

2) Do records - EVERY day!
I did a terrible job at this. My hand-written records I just gave up on when Gogo went lame. My computer-written records have been going strong, but I don't want to rely on them because I think how things just sometimes magically vanish on computers. But I no longer need hand-written notes on all the training and things I did with her on a particular day... I just need to know how the leg looks, how she's behaving, and on what days do certain procedures happen. I need to back up all my information on this computer.. perhaps that is a good start.

3) Have Gogo's teeth done
Our only success! Dr. R didn't find much of anything on her, just lowered a few mini-points she was getting. She did have some sort of weird plaque build-up on her incisors, which was weird. None of the other horses had it, so we can't figure out WHAT caused it (he said sometimes feed that is high in molasses causes it, but that is certainly not the case here). She had just been done six months ago, and I think she's about at the age where she can really start getting really floated once a year instead of twice. This isn't exactly an exciting goal completion, but it's all we have, so I'll take it!

4) Hopefully have the chiropractor work on Gogo
Didn't happen. Between all the chaos of moving/packing/leaving/job hunting/travel/etc, I just never had a chance to get everything together. And now that she's toast, there's probably not much of a point until we get a little further along in our rehab.

5) Map out a rough game plan for the next two months - I hope to really get back into real, planned, structured work in January in hopes of eventually conditioning for eventing, but I want to keep it simple and easy (and fun!) until that point.
This hurts. Clearly this is a fail.



Well.... there you are.

I could completely stop making goals for the time being, but I don't think I want to do that. I do love a list, and I really extra love completing all the little projects on it. So why not?


December Goals:1) Transition to all-day turnout - and hopefully 24/7 turnout, if the situation allows
2) Decide whether or not we are staying here for the month, or going elsewhere for the month, and carry out that plan successfully
3) Figure out a new supplement plan of attack (we reallllly don't need the whole load of them anymore)
4) Maybe teach her some tricks for fun??
5) Just hang out and enjoy the holiday season!


Maybe I'll do all those stupid Parelli games with her. I think for the most part, all of that natural horsemanship stuff has a really important base, but has become completely swarmed and overtaken by crooks trying to make a quick buck off of idiots. I am pretty sure, having read the little bit about them that I have, that I'd be able to do all seven of them in a day. And I'd do them without fancy halters, orange wavy sticks, or spending hundreds of dollars for DVDs and clinics!

Other than that, I have to really use my brain and figure out what other fun things I can do with her. As long as it's low-stress and low-impact, it's game.

As for today, it's absolutely pouring and blowing like a hurricane out there. I assume the horses are still out, so I'm glad she has a shelter to go hide in, if she figured that out. Not sure that she will! I'm finishing up here with all of my packing, and then I'll go visit her. Tomorrow morning I fly out to Texas for my interview. I dunno how I really feel about Texas in general, but you never know do you?

I.... am awesome

I am, for the most part, a modest person. I don't give myself credit where credit is due, because I hate cocky a-holes and I always feel like it makes me sound like one whenever I admit that I did something well, or that I have a particular talent for anything. For the most part, I think I am pretty average in all ways - a fairly talentless, mediocre individual with medium-average intelligence, and not a lot more. But today, I am going to brag about myself for a minute. Today, I am AWESOME.

I am awesome because I am outrageously clever when it comes to work under serious pressure. I am awesome because I am friendly, social and selfless, and in my travels I have made a lot of contacts and friends who are all willing to help me out when I am in a tight spot, simply because they know I would do the same for them. I am awesome because I am well-adjusted and adaptable, and under pressure I am calm as the proverbial cucumber. I am awesome because in the face of major uncertainty, I am still just as happy as ever.

When the job down south fell through, I suddenly found myself facing a major crisis. I got back to Connecticut on Saturday, and had exactly three and a half days until doggie, kitty, pony and myself were completely homeless. *I* can be homeless without a problem, but I can't have all my critters out in the November cold without a warm place to go, so I had to act really, really fast. I had all my stuff to get out of the apartment, I had Gogo to move. I had no idea WHERE we were going but I knew we had to go NOW. When faced with a crisis pertaining to most basic levels of survival - not freezing to death in November - I moved forward with single-minded determination. At blinding speeds, I packed everything I own, set my little critters up at Honey's apartment, made some quick phone calls, packed up everything at the old barn, cleaned up Gogo and tossed her on the trailer, and spent my Sunday evening settling her up at Hillden, where I once lessoned with Kerry Milliken. (Yikes look at that equitation... that was soooo long ago!) Jen was kind enough to let me come last second, and gave me a day rate in case I found another job somewhere else mid-month and needed to leave. The best part about this situation is that Gogo is now getting 10 to 12 hours of turnout a day, coming in only at night to escape the bitter winds. It's exactly what she needs right now to transition over to 24/7... I don't think she's had that much turnout since she was a foal at foot. I spent the rest of past two days packing and loading all my stuff into my horse trailer. I think I should mention that pretty much EVERYTHING I own fits into my trailer's TACK ROOM. Wow.... that's kind of sad, but also a little bit liberating.

As for Gogo, she survived her first day of long turnout without an issue. I thought she might decide at some point that she wanted in NOW, and would run, but she went out at around 6am, and when I arrived at 4pm, she was just standing quietly by the gate. The paddock she is in has a shed and a holding area, which opens up to the bigger paddock through a gate. When she saw me, she screamed, and started pacing the fence like she was definitely ready to come in. 10 hours is pretty good for a horse that normally starts to run the fence after the first two or three! There was another girl there, and she said that she was grazing out in the field when she arrived an hour or so before I got there.

The farm is known for its absolutely gorgeous sunsets, which you get a perfect view of when looking out at her pasture....






I also made her an oatmeal snack out of the box of old plain oatmeal packets I found in my cubbard while cleaning, and spiced it up with some cinnamon sugar. She thought this was absolutely excellent:





I think she might get used to this retirement thing pretty quickly if all I ever do when she sees me is groom her and shove food in her face!


As for the rest of everything, today is the final day of packing, loading and cleaning. Jen's farm is about an hour away, so realistically I don't think I can go every day, but I will do my best to see her as much as possible while in this little bit of limbo. I have a job interview I am flying out for on Thursday, which is great. The rest of everything is all set up at Honey's apartment, and we are all fed and warm. Honestly, if you can believe it, this whole not knowing what tomorrow might bring is pretty exhilarating. I mentioned to Daun yesterday that it was starting to get old, this whole living out of a suitcase and being constantly on the move (versus friends my age who own houses, are starting to make babies, and are getting fat and rich in their little bubble worlds), but I think I am only interested in having a home base because I am always intrigued by what I don't have. If I was tied down to one spot, I don't think I'd really like it... I'm not old enough to really crave that yet, and the adventurer in me still yearns for movement and excitement. I am young and mobile, and I can go anywhere and do anything that I like. In the wintertime, I do get pretty homey, so the timing of this movement is a bit unfortunate. Secretly, I am seriously excited, because I have NO idea where I am going to end up, and NO idea what comes next. For the moment, I am awesome because I assessed the situation, addressed every issue with streamlined efficiency, kept my cool about the whole ordeal, and have still come out smiling. Given the whole situation, I think THAT is something to be very proud of.


And in her huge grassy turnout, and her big airy stall filled with fresh food and clean bedding, Gogo was as happy and fresh as I've ever seen yesterday, despite how ugly her leg is. She's sound at the walk, so I'll take it for what it is. She ate her oatmeal snack with gusto, and stood with the happiest, perkiest look on her face the whole time I was grooming her in the barn. If she's happy, I'm happy.






I am awesome. Gogo is awesome. And YOU are awesome for reading this.

More packing and cleaning.... and then I am freeeeeeeeeeee!

What to do, what to do

I have a confession to make. I've come to the realization that I am completely, utterly, totally, ridiculously, 100% useless without my functional horse. Every single important life decision I've made in the past four years has had her enormously factored in; for instance, the reasons that I took both the post-college jobs that I did were nearly entirely because of the benefits SHE reaped from them. (And yeah, it was good experience for me and all that, but that was way less important to me.) The major reasons for taking those jobs all centered around getting some great training for Gogo, or having a nice place to rehab Gogo, or whatever. I have come to realize that when my horse recently broke for good, I suddenly had no reason to take the job in NC anymore, because the greatest benefit the job had to offer was training and housing for HER. When I found out she couldn't come anyway if she was broken, it made my life simultaneously a lot easier and a lot harder - easier because I had a reason to say no, and harder because suddenly, I didn't know what to do, where to live, or remember what my lifelong goals were supposed to be.

In other words, I am utterly lost without her.

Very obviously, she's still here! It's not like she has gone somewhere or will be going somewhere. But I've come to realize that SO much of my life, time and energy goes into planning for her, thinking about her future, designing schedules and goals for her, shopping around for stuff I'd like to get for her, picking out which shows and/or places I'd like to take her to, playing around with supplement/blanket/tack/etc. choices for her...... that when all of those things come down to the very simple, very rudimentary "all we need to do is provide a good living situation for her and let nature do its thing," I suddenly have vast gaps in my day where I just DON'T know what to do. I feel completely confused and a little bewildered. My life has been given a good hard shake, and it feels like my brain isn't getting the full extent of the message. I'm in denial that I may never do more than sit on my horse's back ever again.

I am at war with myself over the best course of action for Gogo right now. Every fiber of my being screams against turning her out with a fresh soft-tissue injury. It's simply a fact: she WILL get hurt. It WILL hurt her. It MAY permanently damage and deform her. It MAY offer perfect, miracle healing. It might completely ruin her, and cosmetically and structurally destroy her permanently. The last horse I saw that was turned out with a SDFT injury ended up literally so deformed and lame that she knuckled over at the knee in an effort to not use her painful limb, and was severely lame at the walk even after the tendon was declared set for life. THAT could be Gogo. OR, she could take good care of her body, build up scar tissue, and come back as a mildly useable animal someday. The fact of the matter is that the body compensates for whatever it needs to in order to make itself functional. Likely, she'll build up an ugly bundle of disorganized scar tissue and heal herself. She'll hurt herself out there, oh yes! She will. Which is why I am at horrible, stomach-turning odds with myself. It's the right thing to do, retire her and let her loose to be a horse and give up hope of her ever being really rideable again. If she ever IS rideable, great! If not, it's fine too, so long as eventually she turns out pain free. Understandably, this is completely killing me.

I pulled her turnout after a day or two of seeing how utterly miserable she was post-injury. Dr. C said to just turn her out and that's that, but I just can't stand by and know that she's hurting. With a little bute, cold-tubbing and wrapping, her spirits improved, but she's just been sort of mopey ever since I stopped spending the vast majority of the day at barn. I think this retirement-until-further-notice is going to be really hard on her. This mare lives to have a job.

This is truly going to be a painful leap of faith. Letting her out into a herd and letting her just be a HORSE for once is in all honestly going to be the ultimate best medicine for her. I will just have to keep a desperately close eye on her, and be ready to alter my plans if something horrible should happen. I can only anticipate she's going to get into scraps along the way... she's a nasty piece of work out in the field. I love her, but you know she is! She WILL get hurt! But then she will heal again. I want to bubblewrap her and coldhose and wrap and rest her, but I just know it's just not right or fair at this point. What am I trying to prove? What am I trying to do? All I want is for her to be comfortable and happy. I don't care if she ever comes back to be even semi-rideable or not.

Only I hate every moment that she's hurting. So I continue to be at endless odds with myself.

Sigh.



As for the living situation, it currently comes down to where I can keep Gogo. I have a place for myself either in MI or in CT, but I have a place lined up for Gogo in MI only.... not in CT. I guess that means I'll be leaving New England, although hopefully not for good. I love it there, and leaving it will make me hurt.

Until we figure out a solution, I will keep teetering around in my little fog, looking for some sort of ray of sunlight to guide me out again. I suppose it's time to learn to be my own person again, someone who doesn't completely rely on her horsey best friend for the vast majority of her strength, drive, and happiness. I just... don't like that. At all. She is, and always will be, the center of my whole little universe.

Giving Thanks

I have a lot to be thankful for this Thanksgiving.

I am thankful that, despite everything that has happened, my horse has lived to fight another day, and that she is healthy and happy.
I am thankful for my fat, fluffy beastcat, and my sleepy, lazy greyhound.
I am thankful that even though my parrot doesn't currently live with me, he is happy at my parents' house.
I am thankful for all the good luck I had this year, and all our little successes.
I am thankful for all the bad luck, because it humbles and gives me perspective, and makes me appreciate the good.
I am thankful for my horse's healthy, strong bare feet.
I am thankful that my own health has made a turnaround, and I am no longer limping every day.
I am thankful that even though we are all about to be homeless, I have such great friends and family around the world that I am not worried about where we'll end up.
I am thankful for my sense of humor and my ingenuity, because that will get me through this.
I am thankful for all my supporters, family, and friends.
I am thankful that I am still excited for the future, because it's only just beginning.

From Gogo, Ti, Greta, Saba, and myself, Happy Thanksgiving, and I hope you all have plenty to be thankful for too.

Explodybrains

First of all, THANK YOU to everyone that donated to Denali's Mom's gift. In that first few hours, I got nearly $80 in donations! I'll keep donations open through Thanksgiving, and take down the button after that. We have lots of good options for gifts; Sydney has offered to do some custom horsehair work, but we will still have leftover money. Laz's momma had another good suggestion about custom posters like the ones she had made of Laz. I had another idea but we'll have to see how much money is left over. Any other suggestions would be great!
If you donated but haven't contacted me via e-mail yet, drop me a line. I'd like to have everyone e-mail me with a little message for her (and your name and/or your blogger name so she knows who you all are) and then send a collective card along with the gift.

Seriously, you guys are the best. Sometimes it completely floors me how much blogging and the connections you make through it can really touch the people around you. Thank you.




In other news, guess where I am right now!



Aaaah, yes. Michigan. I am home for a few days of rest, relaxation and turkey consumption, back in the good ol' thumb state where I was born and raised. I was definitely needing a break, seeing as I am inconsolably stressed about the upcoming move and Gogo's swiss cheese tendons. (Ok, so they're not THAT bad.... but they may as well be at this point.) Last night I finally received a reply to my inquiry about keeping Gogo at my new job despite her injury. The e-mail simply stated that the facility was not equipped to have a laid-up animal on the propery, and that I would need to make arrangements for her elsewhere. And also, if I could find a useful animal to replace her with, that would be good too.

Well. Very unfortunately for me, the salary at the new job does not allow for keeping a horse boarded off the property AND pay for the expenses of TWO horses, much less a dog and a cat and all my other bills. As the riding and training was such a huge part of the job, and because I really am not planning on snagging up the first project I find, that leaves me with no real choice but to decline the job offer and search elsewhere.

Only. All four of us - dog, cat, horse and myself - are all about to be totally homeless. Doggie, kitty and myself can of course stay in honey's apartment, despite the fact that said apartment is a bit small for that many creatures. But I need to find somewhere for Gogo, and FAST.

I have two options for temporary living. 1) stay in CT and live with honey and find someplace nearby for Gogo. 2) go to MI and stay with family and find someplace nearby for Gogo. Both are doable options. Neither are things I could do for longer than a month without a job. Both of these situations have one central problem: finding a place to keep Gogo, NOW. This in theory should be easy. I mean, all she needs is a field and a shed... no arenas, no stalls, no concerns about location or footing or amenities beyond the simple ones. In reality, I only have 6 days to do this. Barns in CT/NY are very, very expensive. Barns in MI are less so, but it all depends on where you are. I do know a lot of people in the surrounding area; barns where I've kept Gogo before, and where I've kept my other horses as well. There is the possibility of 24/7 turnout in the giant herd where Quincy lived for a few weeks while he was retired, right up until he died. I already spoke with the woman on the phone; I told her she probably wouldn't remember me, but when I mentioned that he had died and his name, she said, "Oh no. That day is burned into my head forever. We've been in business for 40 years and I've never seen anything so horrible." Um, yeah... me too.

So there are options. They take care of my immediate shelter-seeking needs (although if any of you have barn suggestions in either CT, NY or MI.... let me know). We can safely see our way through December this way, but not beyond that.

So now it's time to get serious. In reality, my job in NC was not going to me any further along the path to achieving my goals. Contrary to popular belief, I DON'T want to ride/train/teach for a living. I really, really don't. I love to ride MY horse... and I enjoy riding other horses sometimes. Doing it for a living? No. Teaching? I don't even have the slightest clue how to begin, and I don't want to do it. I guess the problem with knowing these things about myself is that I also know that it creates certain large limitations in my vaguely chosen fields.

Again, I keep coming back to it. Hoofcare. THAT is what I want to do. It's still just a matter of HOW. There's more to it than just trimming... I want to specifically get into sporthorses and farrier work beyond the traditional steel. I've had a lot of good recommendations, and I have a few good leads. It's all a bit vague still, but ideas are becoming more solid by the day. Maybe someday I'll be able to make this all work and not be completely homeless every single time I change jobs. Maybe someday I will have a big, booming business and my own farm. Wouldn't that be amazing?

Yes. But first.... I need to have a place to live.

Baby steps.

For Denali.

I just heard the news about Denali, and I am sure many of you have as well. We featured Denali and her mom in one of our early Sunday Success Stories, and had been following her plight long before that, through all her ups and downs. It breaks my heart to hear that a final decision has been reached, and I know her mom is really hurting right now. I've been in that situation before, when I know I'm doing the right thing by my horse even though it hurts me, and if you haven't stopped by her blog to send your condolances, please go drop her a note to let her know we're all thinking of her. I don't have a lot of money, and I don't know Denali's Mom outside of the blogging community, but I really want to do something for her. I have a set of custom horsehair necklaces that I was given when each of my horses passed away, and they are stunning. I wear one or the other every single day, and have since the day I got them. I think something like that would really be special.

I don't have much money, but I'll match anything that anyone will donate to this. A really nice one is about $100. Please, if you have just $5, send it along. I'll let you know the details about it if you shoot me an e-mail - I want to keep it a semi-surprise.


((Donation button removed... thanks for your generous gifts!!))



And go hug your horse today.

Late-Night Musings

Man. Gogo's been retired-until-further-notice for all of four days now, and I am already itching to get on something and ride. Without a competition horse, I am going into my new job feeling as though I might miss out on a lot of the opportunity I will have access to, and I'm not quite sure what to do about that. There will be horses for me to ride, of course, but I am not a catch rider, and never will be. I just don't enjoy it that much, except in certain circumstances (a big black Perch comes to mind!), mostly because the reason I enjoy showing so much is because I like to show off the particular bond a certain horse and I have together. I don't have interest in ever going pro - I've never felt any particular draw to teaching or training. My riding and competing interests remain pretty much completely limited to my horses alone. Don't get me wrong, I love riding, but mostly I love riding MY horse. Kind of in that way that parents think other kids are cute, but they really only LOVE playing with THEIR kids.

This, unfortunately, isn't an easy remedy. Gogo's not going to be rideable anything in the near future, and she's not going to event again until she gets a magical leg transplant sometime in the near future. I would love to breed her, and am still contemplating the possibility of a bouncing, rearing bundle of joy sometime in the future, but there is a lot to think about. Even if I DO make the choice to breed next spring, we're talking something like five years until I have something to really work with. (And I haven't decided yet if I will even breed her, ever.) I really do want something to work with now.

Only... I will never in a zillion years be able to spend any sort of big money on a talent similar to Gogo's. The only reason I was able to afford Gogo in the first place was because of the insurance money we collected on Metro's mortality. Yes, blood money. Yes, I thank him every day for that unintentional sacrificial gift. She didn't cost a million bajillion dollars, not by any means, but it's quite a lot more than I would be able to shell out just out of pocket at the moment.

What I COULD do is pick up a really cheap project for a turnaround sale, or just a really cheap project to keep for myself. Most of the time though, you really do pay for what you get. Sometimes you get lucky, but it's probable that the OTTB you just picked up for $250 has major mental or physical baggage. (Edited to add: I should mention that I'm not really a fan of hot, hot, hot, hot horses. I enjoy a forward thinking animal, but if it has a load more energy than Gogo has, it's too much!) As I already have one very lovely large pet in the field, I think I'd like to keep that number down to just uno. I obviously can spend more than just the dirt cheapest cheap that you possibly could, but my budget's not very high. If I'm looking for a nice quality beast at a cost that won't break the bank, then I need to either breed my own, or buy very young and wait. (Both potentially doable for sure, and preferable, if I am looking to buy.)

The problem is, that still doesn't solve my immediate problem. I would still be waiting a long time if I bought something already on the ground, and just like it would be a crapshoot if I bred her, it would be a total gamble to see what a young horse would really turn out to be good at.

Hmmmmmmmmm. Conundrum. Decisions. How do I get something nice to play with without breaking my bank, and without risking being saddled with another potential pasture ornament should things not work out?

Wait a minute. Duh, why didn't I think of this before? Why don't I free lease something?


It's a great solution! If I can find a good 1-2 year (hopefully) free lease option with a very clearly written contract, then both the owner and I can win in this situation. The owner wins because their beastie goes off for some free training, showing and care, and it also saves them on board/vet/farrier/whatever bills (assuming these are the things I take over myself). I win because I get something to ride now, don't have to be committed long term if the horse doesn't end up being suitable for what I want to do, and don't have to spend a bundle on a gamble of any sort. Gogo gets a few years to be her horsey self outside, and when the lease is up, I can reassess where I am at with her and decide if the other horse should be a purchase or not.


I honestly stumbled upon this solution while browsing through some online equine ads this afternoon inbetween rounds of packing. One particular ad stuck out, mostly because the horse is for sale OR offered up for a free lease situation EXACTLY like the one I just described above. The horse has various conformation issues going on, so I don't think she would ever make an UL prospect of any sort, but you can't deny, she is darn cute:




Full App, can you believe that? She's sportbred (but without the Wap) so she moves like a warmblood. And also, by some miracle, she has a tail.



When I mentioned to Gogo this evening that she might be getting a sister, I got the full-on snake eyes look from her. I promised her that she's NOT getting replaced in any way, and she looked slightly less miffed, but only after I bribed her with many cookies.

Any ideas or input?

Somebody didn't learn how to share in Kindergarden!

No matter what happens, I think we all know this one universal truth: Gogo is THE boss, and always will be THE boss. I took a few pictures of Gogo out with the girls last week, and when I opened them up today to get a closer look, I laughed outright. I didn't realize how funny the series was until I put them all together in a row!

First, we see Gogo, eating alone off in the distance, enjoying a pile of hay in the all-weather turnout...




Aww, how cute. Look, there are her ladies!





The ladies want to come say hello and see what I have brought for everyone! Three apples, so we all can share!




Oh wait, I forgot. Gogo does NOT share.




Guess who ate all three apples. Pretty sure her name starts with a G.


Oh, Gogo.