Wow. I have really neglected my posting duties! Shame on me. The question now is how far back do I try to go for an update? How about December. I can’t remember much past that anyways. Bear with me. This is probably going to be long.
November ended with my barn owner calling me at work to tell me Private (the thoroughbred) had colic (For those that don’t know, “colic” is a catchall term for any sort of abdominal pain suffered by a horse. Usually it’s nothing more than gas or an impaction (constipation) and once you get the horse to fart or poop he feels better). The vet was summoned and the usual treatment administered but Private wasn’t feeling better. I walked him for most of the night on the 30th hoping that would stimulate his bowels and to keep him from rolling but by the next morning he had hardly pooped anything and he was still in pain. The vet was summoned again, and, after a rectal exam, he determined something other than an impaction was going on. My options at that point were to 1.) Take Private to the OSU Vet School for further exam and possible surgery, 2.) Wait to see if he would just get better or 3.) Have him put down to end his suffering. I didn’t hesitate in my decision. We took him to the vet school.
After a sonogram, they discovered Private had a Nephro Splenic Entrapment which in English means a portion of his bowel had flipped out of place and lodged itself between his kidney and his spleen. The only option was surgery so on the table he went. One hour and two thousand dollars later, Private was in recovery. He’s back at the barn now continuing his recovery. I won’t be able to ride him again until March but it’s winter here and cold and nasty outside so I don’t really mind.
While driving to the vet school, my barn owner, Judy, told me about this horse she was trying to give away. Apparently, someone had given it to her to use in her lesson program but he turned up navicular (another one of those horsie catchall terms which refers to any sort of pain or lameness in the front feet). The original owner wouldn’t take the horse back because he was no good to her so Judy was stuck with a horse she couldn’t use either but still had to feed and give space to in her pasture. Her options were to find him a good home or sell him at auction to the meat buyer, which she did not want to do. When I got home, I mentioned Judy’s dilemma to Larry and he asked if WE could take the horse. So we have another horse. His name is Winston and he’s part Quarter Horse and part Thoroughbred. He’s also freakin’ huge at 17.2 hands (roughly 5’8” at the top of his shoulders). Right now he can be ridden at a walk but nothing faster. After doing some research, I suspect his navicular issues spring from years of faulty shoeing and hoof care. Basically, the natural circulation of the hoof is impeded by improper shoeing and trimming, resulting in a loss of blood flow to the bones and soft tissues of the feet. The soft tissues degrade causing pain whenever the horse places weight on that foot. Luckily, there are new advancements in hoof care that do away with shoeing altogether and reshape the hoof, through several trims, to a more natural shape, which promotes circulation and supports the horse’s weight better. After just one trim and removing his shoes, Winston is already walking and moving better, It’s my hope we’ll get him to a point where he can trot and canter freely without pain. If this treatment works with him, I’m switching all the other horses over to this method of hoof care. Now, you may be asking, why didn’t my barn owner try this with Winston if it would cure his lameness and make him useful to her? It’s because this is considered a “new age” treatment and is actually ridiculed in much of the standard equine community. I talked to several people though about this on a horse discussion board I belong to and they all rave about it. I also did tons of Internet research, for what that’s worth. Besides, I have nothing to lose with this horse. He was free, he’s already lame and I can afford the $40.00 a month for a treatment that just may cure him. I’m very excited about it.
Well enough about the horses. If you even read all that, I’m very impressed. We spent Christmas in Seattle with my parent’s, my sister and my nieces. It was an absolutely fabulous trip. Some friends of ours from Tulsa moved to Seattle about 18 months ago so we got to visit with them as well. We stayed part of the time at a hotel near my sister’s house and two nights alone together at a hotel in downtown Seattle. It was perfect. We were in walking distance to all the downtown attractions and several wonderful bars, which we of course sampled. The best was a swanky seafood restaurant called Oceanaire. We had cocktails and fresh oysters at their oyster bar our last night in town, before heading over to Gordon Biersch for dinner with my sister. I’ve never been a big fan of oysters, taking or leaving them, but these were scrumptious. Sweet and briny with just the right texture. Yum! If I could, I would pack up and move to Seattle tomorrow but I don’t think Kyrielle’s mom would let her move with us so here we are. Life is about trade off’s and Kyrielle is much more important than perfect oysters, breath taking views and swanky cocktail bars. Seattle will have to be our get-away instead of our home.
On the career front, I’m somewhat at a crossroads. I’m no longer pursuing the personal chef career. I still believe it’s a viable profession with a ready and willing market but it’s just not for me. After cooking several times a week for several months, I began to weary of the whole operation. It just wasn’t fun anymore. A big frustration for me is the lack of quality grocery stores around here. Finding fresh produce, especially in the winter, is a hit or miss proposition. Some mornings I would have to go to three or four stores just to find something as basic as zucchini. It was exasperating. I found myself with a limited set of recipes because I could never rely on the stores having what I needed when I needed it. So I lost my enthusiasm for the whole endeavor. I’m still working as a contractor for BCBSOK but that’s likely to change in the future as well. A proposed merger with a larger out of state BCBS will likely see the life insurance operations, and my position, moved to Chicago in a year or two. I’m not too worried about it however. I will either find another accounting position with a local company or enter a new profession altogether. I have a new career in mind, which will allow me to remain self-employed, but I’m keeping it under wraps for the time being. It’s just too new a consideration for me to talking about at the moment.
So, that’s my life for the past six weeks. Larry is facing some trying times ahead, as related in my other post, but I’ll be there supporting him the whole way. He would do no less for me. The coming year is full of unknowns but, given my spontaneous and free flowing nature, I don’t find that the least bit worrisome. In fact, I find it rather exciting.
This is a short post just to let everyone know Larry’s dad passed away early Tuesday morning. He was diagnosed with ALS (Lou Gerhrig’s Disease) about a year ago and went downhill fast. We've been expecting his passing now for the last couple of weeks but that doesn't make it any easier on those who loved him.
Larry traveled to Indiana on Wednesday to be with his mother and they are both in route now to Harrisburg, PA for the service and burial on Monday. I’m flying to Harrisburg on Sunday to meet up with Larry and Kyrielle.
As with any death, it is a sad and somber time for us but we are comforted somewhat in knowing his dad is no longer suffering from a horrible and debilitating disease. Larry’s mom’s future is somewhat up in the air as it doesn’t make sense for her to live alone in Indiana. It also doesn’t appear that she can afford it. We’re trying to talk her into staying with us for the next few weeks while we determine what is best for her. The future for our family is going to be…..interesting.