Monday, January 31, 2011
Best Lesson Ever
Today I did practically everything right. The horse was so good that I want to rush out and buy her something special to show my appreciation. We even cantered a little and I actually kept good posture. I told my husband that I should probably quit after today. I don't think it can get any better than this.
Thought Provoking Quotes From Thomas Jefferson
When we get piled upon one another in large cities, as in Europe, we shall become as corrupt as Europe.
The democracy will cease to exist when you take away from those who are willing to work and give to those who would not. Please read this article, borrowed from Pam
It is incumbent on every generation to pay its own debts as it goes. A principle which if acted on would save one-half the wars of the world.
I predict future happiness for Americans if they can prevent the government from wasting the labors of the people under the pretense of taking care of them.
My reading of history convinces me that most bad government results from too much government.
No free man shall ever be debarred the use of arms.
The strongest reason for the people to retain the right to keep and bear arms is, as a last resort, to protect themselves against tyranny in government.
The tree of liberty must be refreshed from time to time with the blood of patriots and tyrants.
To compel a man to subsidize with his taxes the propagation of ideas which he disbelieves and abhors is sinful and tyrannical.
Thomas Jefferson said in 1802:
I believe that banking institutions are more dangerous to our liberties than standing armies. If the American people ever allow private banks to control the issue of their currency, first by inflation, then by deflation, the banks and corporations that will grow up around the banks will deprive the people of all property - until their children wake-up homeless on the continent their fathers conquered.
The democracy will cease to exist when you take away from those who are willing to work and give to those who would not. Please read this article, borrowed from Pam
It is incumbent on every generation to pay its own debts as it goes. A principle which if acted on would save one-half the wars of the world.
I predict future happiness for Americans if they can prevent the government from wasting the labors of the people under the pretense of taking care of them.
My reading of history convinces me that most bad government results from too much government.
No free man shall ever be debarred the use of arms.
The strongest reason for the people to retain the right to keep and bear arms is, as a last resort, to protect themselves against tyranny in government.
The tree of liberty must be refreshed from time to time with the blood of patriots and tyrants.
To compel a man to subsidize with his taxes the propagation of ideas which he disbelieves and abhors is sinful and tyrannical.
Thomas Jefferson said in 1802:
I believe that banking institutions are more dangerous to our liberties than standing armies. If the American people ever allow private banks to control the issue of their currency, first by inflation, then by deflation, the banks and corporations that will grow up around the banks will deprive the people of all property - until their children wake-up homeless on the continent their fathers conquered.
Almost February
Not much happening here. Friday's lesson went well and I guess I really made the horse work as she was pretty sweaty at the end. I got to use the industrial sized hair dryer on her before putting on blankets. Even though I cinch the saddle as tight as I can, it slips back which probably means it doesn't fit her well. Some of the women bring their own saddles even though they don't own horses so that might be a solution. This is not a purchase to be made lightly so I won't be saddle shopping anytime soon. Especially since I had a dream the other night that we'd completely run out of money and couldn't pay our bills. Gah!
I am currently reading, "Bitter is the New Black" which I thought I'd enjoy due to its snarky cover. I guess I'm the wrong demographic as I find her constant label dropping, how much things cost and self-centeredness off-putting. But then I think, "What is my blogging except to share boring stuff about me?" So I guess I won't be hurling any stones at glass houses. This book uses footnotes inappropriately which drives me nuts. Aren't footnotes supposed to reference an information source? Hers are used as personal asides. I read another book about a year ago where the author did the same thing and I couldn't get it to the used book store fast enough.
Hopefully I'll get some stuff listed on eBay this week. I actually got the house somewhat in order so I can goof around without having unfinished projects hanging over my head.
Another riding lesson later today. Hope the horses appreciate the organic carrots I've got this week. I'm going to grow some for them this summer. I have a waist high raised garden bed that could be put to good use. I burned out really quickly on growing my own vegetables when I found a green worm on the broccoli and aphids all over my lettuce. I only grew veggies at my husband's behest. If he wants home grown he can grow them. I'm sticking with flowers.
I am currently reading, "Bitter is the New Black" which I thought I'd enjoy due to its snarky cover. I guess I'm the wrong demographic as I find her constant label dropping, how much things cost and self-centeredness off-putting. But then I think, "What is my blogging except to share boring stuff about me?" So I guess I won't be hurling any stones at glass houses. This book uses footnotes inappropriately which drives me nuts. Aren't footnotes supposed to reference an information source? Hers are used as personal asides. I read another book about a year ago where the author did the same thing and I couldn't get it to the used book store fast enough.
Hopefully I'll get some stuff listed on eBay this week. I actually got the house somewhat in order so I can goof around without having unfinished projects hanging over my head.
Another riding lesson later today. Hope the horses appreciate the organic carrots I've got this week. I'm going to grow some for them this summer. I have a waist high raised garden bed that could be put to good use. I burned out really quickly on growing my own vegetables when I found a green worm on the broccoli and aphids all over my lettuce. I only grew veggies at my husband's behest. If he wants home grown he can grow them. I'm sticking with flowers.
Wednesday, January 26, 2011
Cure for Insomnia
Babysit a toddler for five hours. I couldn't even stay awake watching television last night and slept the whole night through.
Thank you all for your kind words regarding my previous entry. Logic just doesn't always trump emotion in my world.
Thank you all for your kind words regarding my previous entry. Logic just doesn't always trump emotion in my world.
Tuesday, January 25, 2011
Perfectionist
I consider myself a "Jack of All Trades, Master of None" kind of person. I don't really excel at anything but can muddle through most undertakings I have an interest in. However, I think the dictum, "Anything Worth Doing Is Worth Doing Well" has seeped into my subconscious to such an extent that when I make an inadvertent mistake I beat myself up over it.
It was unseasonably warm yesterday with a breeze. When I got to the stable I remarked to my instructor that it felt like spring. She agreed and remarked that the horses were acting like they had spring fever. (Okay, she really said they were acting like idiots) She told me to let her know when I was ready to collect my horse from an outside pen and she would come with me. This is unusual - I'm allowed to bring her inside unassisted in addition to moving other horses around. Anyway, we go outside and my mare ambles right over to the gate to be haltered up and led. Some of the other horses are prancing around in their pens and my instructor had a whip to shake at them to keep them from reaching out to my mare (presumably biting) The path is fairly narrow and I unfortunately let my mare get ahead of me. All of a sudden she took off running and the lead rope was ripped out of my hands. I don't know if one of the other horses got too close or if she saw the whip and decided to get the heck out of Dodge, but off she went. Fortunately the path ends where one of the pens is closely adjacent to the barn so she didn't get very far. My instructor very matter of factly caught her and handed her back to me.
I was rattled. You see, most of the time when I exit the lower barn (different door than where the pens are) I let her walk out to the end of the rope ahead of me so I can close the barn door. What if she had spooked one of those times? She conceivably could have really gotten away. I'd been told she was an escape artist but she has always seemed so docile that I guess I got complacent. I finally get the message that horses can be unpredictable and will do stuff for no reason.
When I went into the arena for my lesson I told my instructor that I was not feeling very confident. She had me ride in a large circle, concentrating on using my upper body and legs to control the horse, not the reins. We eventually started doing it at the trot where, amazingly, I felt more secure in what I was doing. The lesson ended on a very positive note.
So all's well, wouldn't you think? I went to bed about 12:30, read for an hour as usual and turned off the light when I started to doze. Boom, I'm instantly wide awake. I lay there for about a half hour before turning the light back on. I finally fell asleep with my book in my hand and woke up about 5:30 to turn off the light. Did go back to sleep but got up at 7:30. So what's that, about five hours of sleep? I'm an eight or nine hour kind of gal. What's bothering me? Guilt for what might have happened. No one blamed me and my instructor and I had a really good talk about what I could have done to prevent the runaway from happening.
I will get over it, I always do, but damn. I wonder if an anti-anxiety pill would help?
It was unseasonably warm yesterday with a breeze. When I got to the stable I remarked to my instructor that it felt like spring. She agreed and remarked that the horses were acting like they had spring fever. (Okay, she really said they were acting like idiots) She told me to let her know when I was ready to collect my horse from an outside pen and she would come with me. This is unusual - I'm allowed to bring her inside unassisted in addition to moving other horses around. Anyway, we go outside and my mare ambles right over to the gate to be haltered up and led. Some of the other horses are prancing around in their pens and my instructor had a whip to shake at them to keep them from reaching out to my mare (presumably biting) The path is fairly narrow and I unfortunately let my mare get ahead of me. All of a sudden she took off running and the lead rope was ripped out of my hands. I don't know if one of the other horses got too close or if she saw the whip and decided to get the heck out of Dodge, but off she went. Fortunately the path ends where one of the pens is closely adjacent to the barn so she didn't get very far. My instructor very matter of factly caught her and handed her back to me.
I was rattled. You see, most of the time when I exit the lower barn (different door than where the pens are) I let her walk out to the end of the rope ahead of me so I can close the barn door. What if she had spooked one of those times? She conceivably could have really gotten away. I'd been told she was an escape artist but she has always seemed so docile that I guess I got complacent. I finally get the message that horses can be unpredictable and will do stuff for no reason.
When I went into the arena for my lesson I told my instructor that I was not feeling very confident. She had me ride in a large circle, concentrating on using my upper body and legs to control the horse, not the reins. We eventually started doing it at the trot where, amazingly, I felt more secure in what I was doing. The lesson ended on a very positive note.
So all's well, wouldn't you think? I went to bed about 12:30, read for an hour as usual and turned off the light when I started to doze. Boom, I'm instantly wide awake. I lay there for about a half hour before turning the light back on. I finally fell asleep with my book in my hand and woke up about 5:30 to turn off the light. Did go back to sleep but got up at 7:30. So what's that, about five hours of sleep? I'm an eight or nine hour kind of gal. What's bothering me? Guilt for what might have happened. No one blamed me and my instructor and I had a really good talk about what I could have done to prevent the runaway from happening.
I will get over it, I always do, but damn. I wonder if an anti-anxiety pill would help?
Saturday, January 22, 2011
Musings on Marriage
It’s not so much my coworkers as it is their ability to talk that annoys me. Swiped from Shoebox
A partial entry from Jon
I've never known a genuinely happily married couple (this has nothing to do with Janet and the soldier). Most of the couples I know are either divorced or completely miserable. Or have been "happily" married four or five times.
Oh, sure, a few of tham fake being happy. If you examine the fake ones closely, you'll discover that they have begun to look like each other and act like each other and are strangely unable to function without each other. It's scary.
This is reality as he sees it. I, however, believe there are exceptions. My husband and I have been married for 35 years. Making it work at times has been the hardest thing I've ever done in my life. Has it been worth it? Well, that depends on how I feel on any particular day. I think there are pros and cons to both marriage and being single. I copied the observation about talking co-workers as that is how I feel some days. I am shouting, "Shut up, shut up, shut up" inside my head. I don't care or am not in the mood to hear the current rant. Then there are days when I feel like when we first met - so much in love that my heart overflows. So yeah, maybe some days I'm faking being happy but not always. I'm positive it works both ways as I'm not as perfect as I'd like you to believe.
Jon's probably right in that learning to live in harmony with another person does create the illusion of being joined at the hip. You learn to compromise and pick your battles and if you didn't agree on the majority of life's issues, why in the heck are you together in the first place? I suppose some enjoy and even seek out conflict but that is not my ideal relationship. As you get older you do become more dependent on your partner and your household roles become more fixed. I dust and vacuum - he plows the snow and fixes the cars. We both cook and wash dishes. What works for us may not for other couples. I also want to add that we both have separate interests that we pursue without the other. My husband is bored to tears at the idea of riding a horse around and around a ring. I refuse to ride on the back of his Harley, although that is how we initially met. I know he would love for me to ride along but I can't get past the the crappy road conditions and insane drivers in Alaska. I probably would ride if we were still in California.
I'm sure we've all known or heard of widows or widowers who become practically immobile when their partner dies. Is it the loss of the individual or the complete lifestyle adjustment that causes this? I don't know but it's sad either way. I believe if you have a positive outlook you can soldier through almost anything.
This is getting way too long. Had a so-so riding lesson yesterday. The mare kept trying to yank the reins out of my hands. The kid who mucks the stalls had observed earlier how strong she is. One of these days she's going to yank me over her head and boy, will I be sorry.
A partial entry from Jon
I've never known a genuinely happily married couple (this has nothing to do with Janet and the soldier). Most of the couples I know are either divorced or completely miserable. Or have been "happily" married four or five times.
Oh, sure, a few of tham fake being happy. If you examine the fake ones closely, you'll discover that they have begun to look like each other and act like each other and are strangely unable to function without each other. It's scary.
This is reality as he sees it. I, however, believe there are exceptions. My husband and I have been married for 35 years. Making it work at times has been the hardest thing I've ever done in my life. Has it been worth it? Well, that depends on how I feel on any particular day. I think there are pros and cons to both marriage and being single. I copied the observation about talking co-workers as that is how I feel some days. I am shouting, "Shut up, shut up, shut up" inside my head. I don't care or am not in the mood to hear the current rant. Then there are days when I feel like when we first met - so much in love that my heart overflows. So yeah, maybe some days I'm faking being happy but not always. I'm positive it works both ways as I'm not as perfect as I'd like you to believe.
Jon's probably right in that learning to live in harmony with another person does create the illusion of being joined at the hip. You learn to compromise and pick your battles and if you didn't agree on the majority of life's issues, why in the heck are you together in the first place? I suppose some enjoy and even seek out conflict but that is not my ideal relationship. As you get older you do become more dependent on your partner and your household roles become more fixed. I dust and vacuum - he plows the snow and fixes the cars. We both cook and wash dishes. What works for us may not for other couples. I also want to add that we both have separate interests that we pursue without the other. My husband is bored to tears at the idea of riding a horse around and around a ring. I refuse to ride on the back of his Harley, although that is how we initially met. I know he would love for me to ride along but I can't get past the the crappy road conditions and insane drivers in Alaska. I probably would ride if we were still in California.
I'm sure we've all known or heard of widows or widowers who become practically immobile when their partner dies. Is it the loss of the individual or the complete lifestyle adjustment that causes this? I don't know but it's sad either way. I believe if you have a positive outlook you can soldier through almost anything.
This is getting way too long. Had a so-so riding lesson yesterday. The mare kept trying to yank the reins out of my hands. The kid who mucks the stalls had observed earlier how strong she is. One of these days she's going to yank me over her head and boy, will I be sorry.
Thursday, January 20, 2011
The Birds Are Back
Lots and lots of chickadees and a nuthatch or two have reappeared at my bird feeders. We also had two Stellar jays begging for peanuts today.
The black dots in the trees are Bohemian Waxwings. This is only a few of the giant flock that flew through the neighborhood. I wish I'd had the camera out in time to take a picture of them in flight. It's eerily like the movie The Birds.
It snowed a couple of inches last night and we're getting sporadic flakes today. Just enough to set the budgies off into "The Sky is Falling" chittering.
Had another great riding lesson on Monday. I actually trotted without stirrups and kept a fairly decent seat. I only messed up once by raising the reins too high and of course the mare "told" on me immediately by heading for the center of the ring. But, I was able to fix everything without being told to by my instructor. I finally seem to know what I should be doing, now just to actually do it. Will be interesting to see if tomorrow goes as well.
It snowed a couple of inches last night and we're getting sporadic flakes today. Just enough to set the budgies off into "The Sky is Falling" chittering.
Had another great riding lesson on Monday. I actually trotted without stirrups and kept a fairly decent seat. I only messed up once by raising the reins too high and of course the mare "told" on me immediately by heading for the center of the ring. But, I was able to fix everything without being told to by my instructor. I finally seem to know what I should be doing, now just to actually do it. Will be interesting to see if tomorrow goes as well.
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