Bad, Bad Realtor

Our realtor sent an information link on a house with eight and a half acres. It was after midnight - does the man never sleep? No pictures yet as it was a brand-new listing. I'm heading off to California Wednesday with a pretty full plate of things to do before then but I'm tempted to squeeze in a viewing before I leave. Who wants to move in the middle of winter - it was about eight below zero this morning.

Glad I refilled all the bird feeders yesterday. The nuthatches are really loving the peanut butter feeder. I often see two at a time on it. Thought the heated water dish had died but it turned out the timer needed resetting. Don't know how that got out of whack.

UPDATE: Does this look like a ranch style to you? I, for one, do not want to shovel those steps just so unwanted solicitors can make it to my front door.

Replacement Windows

Last year, I replaced all the windows in my house with those expensive, double-pane, energy-efficient kind.
Today, I got a call from the contractor who installed them.
He complained that the work had been completed a year ago. and I still hadn't paid for them.
Hellloooo,............just because I'm blonde doesn't mean that I am automatically stupid.
So, I told him just what his fast-talking sales guy told me last year....that these windows would pay for themselves in a year.
Helllooooo? It's been a year, so they're paid for, I told him.
There was only silence at the other end of the line, so I finally hung up.
He never called back.
I bet he felt like an idiot.

Saddle Pics

You know, I think there's a concept called contrast when the background is a different color than the object you are taking a picture of. My craptastic photo skilz live on.

This is a Stubben Tristan saddle. Paid $400.00. I think I got a good deal.

It's A Keeper

I'm keeping the saddle. It's not perfect and my consultant was encouraging me to look at a different saddle that cost twice as much. I can't justify that kind of money for what will essentially be a lesson saddle. I don't know if I'll ever want to compete. This saddle was comfortable for both me and the horse and has a narrow twist, apparently a good thing.

We're going to be experimenting with different types of saddle pads - it needs a riser, whatever that is. I went to the tack shop after my lesson and bought some glycerin based saddle soap, leather conditioner and a saddle rack. I plan on cleaning it up today. Yee haw!

Can A Pony Be Far Behind?

I bought a used saddle yesterday! Of course as with most things I took a simple transaction and turned it into a three act play. I saw the saddle advertised on Craigslist last week. I talked to a couple of the women at the barn about it on Friday. They all thought it sounded like a good deal and that I should contact the seller about trying it out. My husband has been adverse to the idea of saddle ownership since I don't have a horse - why can't I just keep using the stable's equipment? Thus, I was hesitant to tell him about this great deal and just kept checking Craigslist to make sure the listing hadn't been deleted.

Somehow yesterday the subject of Christmas came up and I asked him if he knew what he was getting me. He responded, "No, but I bet you do." I confessed that he may not want to buy what I had in mind and he, smart man, immediately said, "Saddle." Because he hates shopping and this was a really good deal, he told me to call the seller, which I did. She and I agreed to meet at 5:00 at her barn.

I picked up the saddle and ran over to my barn to show it off. Well, there was no one there so I could not get an opinion or fitting accomplished. The seller had another interested party planning to look at the saddle today (Monday). Being the neurotic that I am, I promptly bought the saddle outright, not knowing if it will fit me or "my" horse. Keep your fingers crossed.

Taken Today, Posted Today

Thirteen weeks.

Better Late Than Never?

I found the camera and it had some pictures of Bart's first couple of days with us. He's about twice as big now and today goes to the vet for another shot and microchipping. We'll find out if he still gets carsick or not...

He's a good boy. Seems to be housebroken in that he asks to go outside, although I wouldn't trust him not to have an accident if we didn't respond quickly to his cues. A couple of people I know suggested teaching him to ring a bell to ask outside. Nice in theory but he bats at the bell like a kitten and treats it like a toy. He knows how to sit on command and stay sitting until I tell him it's okay to dive into his food. Last night we started working on "Down."

There was an in-house (in-stable?) show and costume contest at the barn on Sunday. We had our first snow of the season Saturday night which I think discouraged some of the participants from attending. It was cold and I left as soon as the last event was over. I do not envy the barn workers who have to take care of the horses. Household pets are so much easier by comparison.

Here's another picture of Bart and our older dog, Boris. Most of the pictures we have are of him sleeping as it's the only time he holds still.

I'm having a crown on one of my molars replaced so spent Monday morning in the dentist's chair. Decided to get a flu shot since there was a Walgreens close by. Barely made it home in time to change into my riding clothes and head out to the stable. Had another good lesson. Things have been clicking right along lately so I'm sure I'm due for a complete breakdown soon and all my muscle memory will fly out the window.