Gravity Always Wins

Got dumped by a spook yesterday. No injuries to speak of although my neck is a little tender. I always manage to smack my head when I fall. This makes twice for this helmet so I probably should look at replacing it.

This was a slow motion spook in that I almost managed to sit it out. I fell off on the left side of the horse and my right stirrup ended up completely across the saddle. So glad my foot came out. Can you imagine having your right foot hung up on the left side of the horse while the rest of you is hitting the ground? He stood stock still and my trainer said his eyes were as big as saucers as he realized what he had done. She actually had to push him away from me as he didn't want to budge from my side.

We were getting close to the end of the lesson but she had me get back on him so he wouldn't think he got rewarded and put away when he dumped someone. I did a bunch of leg yields and called it good.

I self-medicated with a couple of glasses of wine after I got home. Gotta keep those muscles relaxed...

My Dogs Are Morons

I had a dog door installed today. The door itself was not inexpensive and I additionally paid to have two men install it. My two idiots are afraid of it. The instruction sheet suggests using food or a favorite toy and holding the flap up and out of the way as the dog gets used to going through the opening. Um, nope. They don't even want to go in or out the doorway in the regular fashion because that darn flap is so terrifying. I foresee a long struggle ahead for us. I shall persevere.

The End of the World As We Know It

Alternatively Titled, "The Times They Are a-Changin'"

I just saw Bob Dylan doing a car commercial.

Help Me, I'm Melting

We've had over a week of unseasonably warm temperatures. It is not supposed to be 40 degrees in Alaska in January. Spring in Alaska is referred to as "break up." I think that is due to the ice breaking up on the rivers and lakes. I drove by Lake Wasilla yesterday and there is standing water on top of it. It could be melted all the way through for all I know. As one woman at the barn said, it wouldn't be so bad if we knew spring was really on the way but we know it's going to get cold again and we're going to have to suffer through this more than once. Oh well, enough about the weather.

I think I'm going to finally manage to get in three rides this week. Two weeks ago I had to skip Friday because I had to attend a wedding and last Friday the side roads were just too icy for me to want to leave the house unnecessarily. There are some new horses being boarded that I'm getting acquainted with. One is a Clydesdale who, strangely enough, doesn't like carrots but scarfed up the apple I brought him Tuesday. He's the first horse I've personally met who has a mustache like the horse in this picture.

Picture swiped from Horse Nation, as is the following video:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mFkdsPKARgE

Is that bizarre or what?

Ta and Da

Two more trips to Home Depot as the first set of toggle bolts I purchased had screw heads that were too big to fit in the curtain hardware openings. (P.S., toggle bolts don't work for me the way they're supposed to. The darn things wouldn't open up and I eventually took a screwdriver and a hammer to them) It took me most of yesterday and I lost count of how many times I had to re-install the hardware as it kept falling off the wall the minute I put the curtains on the rod. I was in a really bad mood by the time I was finished. I won't be surprised if they come crashing down as I did a real number on the sheetrock. I'm almost afraid to open/close them as I don't want to put any stress on the hardware. No more home improvement projects for me. From now on I'm hiring out.

Adventures in Home Maintenance

I've had no window coverings for my living room since living in this house. My husband said, "Who needs drapes? We're out in the middle of nowhere." Now that I'm alone, I need drapes. I'm out in the middle of nowhere.

So I ordered some bamboo drapes that I thought went well with my hardwood floors and furniture. I purchased four panels since two wouldn't be wide enough and three just seemed odd. My sister and I planned to install them while she was here but it didn't happen, mostly because the Christmas tree was in the way.

Monday was the big day. Long story short, the damn curtains pulled the hangers out of the drywall (and I did use drywall anchors) So I turned to the Internet and it looks like I need molly bolts. I should just get a job at Home Depot for the amount of time I spend there. Next to the grocery store it is my most frequented shopping spot.

Back on Track (More or Less)

My sister flew home yesterday so I no longer have any excuses for not eating right, exercising and organizing the house. Somehow sitting here at the computer doesn't fit into this plan so obviously I'm off to a bad start.

I have paid for three riding lessons a week in January. Of course, I'm already screwed this week as I have a wedding to attend at 4:00 Friday. Who gets married then? What about the people who have to work until 5:00? I think it had something to do with the church's availability, but personally I would have just picked another day.

I am a terrible slacker and can procrastinate doing almost anything until the absolute last minute. I think I'm going to try making a schedule of daily tasks. If you're familiar with FlyLady, number one should be getting dressed first thing as opposed to sitting around in your pajamas half the day. That's a toughie for me as I really don't function until I've been awake for a couple of hours and had several cups of coffee. Even when I worked I'd get up at least two hours before I needed to leave the house so I'd have lounging time.

Okay, I think I've inspired myself enough to do the grocery shopping and put away some more Christmas decorations. Gosh how I hate acting responsible...