Achoo!

I've gotten the first cold in years and it is making up for all those healthy times.  So here I am, kleenex at the ready, Dayquil downed and feeling like crap.  It was R's birthday a few days ago and I managed to get upstairs, with help.  Each time I do this it gets easier, and I can see progress going up and down the stairs.  To all of you readers, take note that even a simple task like doing stairs can be an incredible effort for some folks.

But enough about me complaining.

The farrier came last week to trim the horse's hooves.  She wasn't real cooperative with her hind legs.  The stroke-like aftermath left her right hind gimpy, and so she balks at having the left hind lifted, and all her weight on the weak leg.  That is the main aftermath, the tongue, eye, ear, just cosmetic, so far.  I feel so sorry for her, but she doesn't seem to be bothered, except for the trimming.  She is 26 this summer.  My first horse was a palomino, he was very beautiful up almost to the end, he was 23 when I had him put down, due to his heaves (like emphysema);  if I had just left him in his stall until the end his passing would have been a horrendous panicky time as he struggled to breathe, and I owed him a quick painless passing in a green meadow with grass to his knees, and the vet there with him.  I vowed then I wouldn't keep another geriatric horse, but how would I do that?  The mare was born here, and never was gone more than a couple of months when she was broke to ride as a three year old.  How would I have her hauled off to a strange place, to learn how to get along with a whole herd of horses?  Anyway.  The mare seems to enjoy flapping her tongue, making a blub blub sound.  I know she looks silly.  The signs I put up, "please don't feed the horse" and "stay out" seem to have worked so that the neighboring teens aren't climbing the fence anymore.  I also hung up "electric fence" and hung some bits of wire on the old insulators, it hasn't been electrified in years, I don't even own a charger any more, but they don't know that.  Back when it was new, I would test if it was working by touching the wire, but I got to where I couldn't make myself do it.  I bought a fence tester instead, I was too conditioned to touch it myself.

This is not my mare, but you get the idea.  I can't get out to the field yet.