The Weekend.

Ellie and her baby birds

Once again the hubster and I got many things done this weekend. We adopted three new chicks. A Buff Easter Egger born in February. This bird should produce blue eggs. We also got a White Plymouth Rock born in March along with a Speckled Sussex born in March. They are already in the coop having a great time with the rest of my girls.

Nancy is my bird lady, or rather a bird breeder that I go to; to get my birds. She showed me around her place and let me look at all of her adult birds. She had one White leghorn rooster that was the size of a Beagle. Only bigger.

She also had a three year old daughter with long shaggy hair that would go in and grab all the baby birds and place them on a running machine that was in the same room as the babies. Her name was Ellie. It was hard to watch little Ellie grab babies by a wing or a head and play with them as if they were little dolls. Yet Nancy assured me that she wouldn't kill them, she knows better now. You can tell this kid will end up becoming a Steve Irwin type that loves birds.

 I assume there were lots of killings before the age of 3? Nancy is passionate about her birds, and gets very excited about them and talks really fast. I was trying so hard to pay attention and once and a while I would get a tiny poke or a pull from Ellie. "Yes Ellie?" "I like your car!" "Thanks! you have good taste!" poke poke "Yes Ellie?" "What does tem-per-mint mean?" "uh..... it means.... uh..... ummm.... " meanwhile... Nancy hasn't skipped a beat and is throwing more birds into my arms to "hold". "Do you like this one? Here hold her for a second while I get this one"

 We were in Nancy's house and I was standing on what looks to be a nice rug... and there... goes a poop onto the rug...."oops that one just pooped" Says Nancy...casually. "I am so sorry!, I don't know... what....to... do about that" "Oh no worries, it happens all the time". Ellie comes running out with a squirt bottle in hand ready to clean up.

I came home with the three chicks.... absolutely drained. I was there for an hour. I was jammed with new knowledge but was exhausted from three year old Ellie, baby bird screams, and the constant push to look at an IPhone to see what these chicks would look like when they mature. I hate looking at Iphone pictures. I HATE IT! I especially hate looking at the internet on an iphone. It's not a computer, it's just too small. I have a dumb phone. I refuse to upgrade to the future.


So baby birds... check!

 Then we went to my mom's house to see a strange man. We went out to lunch and feasted. The weather couldn't have been nicer. I decided to pluck some fish from the pond. Check. Done.

We now have 7 Koi... swimming around on our front porch. Alive and well! They made the transport. Which means I can go and get some more. I think there are at least 25 fish to be plucked... or not plucked... we will see, I think my mom wants to keep the pond and fish. Which means it needs to be repaired. Which is not an easy task.

I also cleaned out the chicken coop completely. I even hosed it all down with a pressure washer. It is so clean I could sleep in there and that is saying a lot. (Chicken Coops can be notoriously disgusting).

I also went to watch a horse clinic this weekend at Snap Dragon Stables http://www.ridesnapdragon.com/. I finally got to meet Coelli Netsky. http://cnetskyequine.com/ . She is  a big deal where I live. She judges horse shows, and is a certified horse trainer.  I wanted to make my best impression on her; so... I dressed as a professional horse trainer. It did the job. I gained some respect, and hopefully have re-launched my reputation as a good riding instructor and horse trainer.

I'm hoping that my cartoons take off too. I havent' decided whether I will eventually make this into a book, or just do an illustrated novel like Robert Crumb. http://www.crumbproducts.com/ . I'm getting a lot of feedback from the cartoons on facebook. I would like to be the next american Norman Thelwell http://www.thelwell.org.uk/. I will never do it like him of course, but maybe with time I will get my own style. As I have mentioned before I love his work.

So that was my weekend!
Here are some pictures and maybe a cartoon if I have time.

Feasting with family.

James likes the strange man

James and Watts lounging and reminiscing about the old days.

Fish in the new pond!

Say hello to the new chicks. Mango, Spots, and Honky

a boy and his bird

My boy Watts (age 2) and his bird.

My first week back in the saddle.

I did not draw this... This is a Norman Thelwell cartoon... he died in 2004 and was an amazing pony cartoonist. He is from England, and worked for Punch magazine. He is one of my favorite artists.

Thelwell Website

It has been about five years since I have consistently rode a horse. I was surprised at how quickly my muscle memory came back. My body knows what to do but is lacking the muscle to keep me in place. I am , after a week, starting to get my muscle back in all the right places so that I can stay put in one place and let loose in another. Without my muscle I am gripping everywhere just to stay still and am overcompensating by using my hands or lower leg. Riding looks easy, but every muscle is involved from your head down to your heal.

Last night I rode a horse named Ellie. I also rode her on Sunday. She has been ridden a handful of times since coming to Snap Dragon Stables. I brought her in from the field and hooked her up to the cross ties.. She immediately started to dance and weave nervously all over the place.

Horses are herd animals. They can't be by themselves. Ellie has made friends with a horse named Lucy, and they are best buds. Ellie was freaking out without Lucy by her side. One of the barn girls brought Lucy in while I brushed Ellie and tried to get her tacked up. She was very upset... but I was reassured that she would be fine in the ring. My favorite saying is "bad in the barn, good in the ring" I was hoping this would be true this time.

Ellie is a teenager, and must have been a show horse at some point. She was a little stiff at first, but was very quiet at the trot. She didn't pull anything sneaky, and responded well to my leg. A tap with my left heal and she drifted right. This old mare had some training, and she was letting me know about it.

Her attention soon left Lucy, and within moments we were dancing. I was Ellie's new partner in crime. No toes were being stepped on and we glided across the ring in sync. Both of us having something in common. Out of shape, old girls, diamonds in the rough, wanting to dazzle each other with our skills.

I dismounted, and Ellie nudged me, head held low, calm, relaxed, a low snort (a comforting relaxed sound a horse makes).  This was a completely different horse then what I had brought out of the barn.

The next day I was to ride her again. I brought her into the barn and hooked her up. I started to brush her... and then it dawned on me... she wasn't like this yesterday. She was skipping and sashaying every which way... but  today, she stood like a rock, watching me, listening to me as I gabbed to the girls. Could she possibly remember me?

I saddled her up and walked out to the ring. We started to work, and already she was much better then the previous day. She was loose, more limber, more agile, and more graceful. She floated, extended, collected, bended and responded as if she had been in serious training for months. Ginger, the owner was watching. "I heard she can jump" No need to ask... let's get the jumps set up.

Ginger set up the course, and soon I was trotting up to my first cross rail on a horse that nobody has seen jump... Ellie could see the jump coming and turned into a Porshe... wanting to gallop down the line... me holding her back, collecting her up, keeping her straight and focused without getting in her way. She sailed over the jump... no problem. She liked it, and so did I. We did it a few more times, and it became less sloppy every time. Could I ask her to bend this hard at a canter? I didn't know, I asked, and she happily responded... bending sharply, while collected and balanced she sailed over the jumps. This was no spring chicken. This was my new fancy girl!!

She is my new Bestie... this is what I love about horses. I can always find something in common with them. It sounds cliche... but riding is very much like dancing. Some dance partners have no rhythm and step on your toes and it takes time to get on the same page. While others are like your right arm, they are just meant to be there at your side.

I'm excited, I feel like a kid again. I got fire in my belly, and energy in my step... I wonder what Ellie is doing right now... I wonder if she feels sore from yesterday, or happy to be back into work... I think horses like to be worked, and praised. I hope so anyway. I know I do.

It's raining today, I don't think we will be dancing tonight. That's ok though- I have time.