I know this is suppose to be wordless; however I wanted to say my daughter, Murphy and these blooms bring me smiles. I need the smiles and I hope they bring a smile to you too! ❤
Month: May 2023
Weekend Coffee Share; May 21, A Happy But Solemn Day
Welcome to my weekend coffee share, can I get you a cup of coffee or tea? My rose blooms are waning and so are my Iris blooms. I am so happy I took photos so I can still enjoy their beauty. As I write this I am wanting to celebrate my 2 year anniversary of when my sweet horse Murphy arrived and I am so happy and grateful for our journey together, and am excited for our future together, he is so much fun. However, as I titled this post I am very solemn since I had to say goodbye to my most beloved horse Miss Chloe. I’ve posted a tribute and if you missed it you can find the link here. She has left a huge hole in my life and I am going to have to take one day at a time. I knew this day was coming, and I miss her terribly. I haven’t figured out a new routine yet at the barn, everything is in flux, and I know it just takes time to grieve and so I will try and enjoy each day as it comes. Its been a tough year and am hoping and praying for a better second half to this year.
I didn’t want to be all sad, and I didn’t want this post to be a downer so I will try and share more positivity as I am hoping this will help me smile. I have finished all the crochet hats I was making for my sister. She had brought to me when she visited some alpaca wool all spun and ready to use and then she will gift the hats this coming Christmas. They were fun to make! I am more than half way through my cross stitch and so am back working on it as I really want to finish and frame it. Here are a few photos of them.
My cross-stitch looks better in person as I know the grey material makes it more muted in color. The narwhal is almost done and next to stitch is a big orca whale! There is a squid and more small fish to stitch as well. Then the intricate border. The pattern actually called for a dark blue linen but I had grey and thought it would look nice enough. The crochet hats I adore and am thinking of making more hats with my yarn as gifts to my family members. I decided to try and use almost every piece of yarn my sister gave me and made the 2 tricolor hats pictured together. I actually ran out completely and found a multi colored yarn to finish that one hat. I might keep that hat for myself, since it is unique and/or I’ll ask my sister if she would like all of them or not. Haha, I worry about the silliest things sometimes as the yarn isn’t exactly a perfect match but thought it will work so I just stitched it up anyways!
Let’s see, my emotions are all over the place. Normal right? I know life can throw you curve balls sometimes and so I am trying to keep to my routines as this helps keep you sane. At least that’s how I see things. 😀 and I know smiling helps your mood. I have been wanting to start a veggie garden in my containers and so I think I will work on that this week. Ironic or not, now I actually have time in the mornings tending to a small garden since I now only have one horse. I let the horses commandeer many hours of my mornings before I have to go to work. I have so much to think about, keeping busy for idle minds helps.
Murphy is so handsome and beautiful. I want to slowly get going with riding him more often. Now that he is 5 years old he is at a great age mentally to handle more, not that I couldn’t have done that sooner but I keep saying we have all the time in the world. Now that he is my only horse, it feels surreal. I think partly because an era has ended. When you have a 17 year history with someone or a beautiful animal like Chloe you realize that life will be completely different. One day at a time, my new mantra!
Memories are wonderful and I have hundreds of photos. This one is one of my favorites, me and my selfies. 😀 I’ll end with my boy and looking forward to a new adventure as we forge ahead. I needed to write as I find it cathartic. I may sprinkle my sweet Chloe girl in my future posts just because she has a piece of my heart forever. It’s nice to see her beautiful face, she had the hugest heart and loved and touched so many lives in the years she walked on this earth. Run free sweet girl! ❤ ❤ ❤
Thank you for visiting with me today. I am trying my best to smile and am very thankful I am here to enjoy all that I have in this life. We all have our ups and downs and I know I am truly blessed with all the wonderful friends and family in my life. I want to thank Natalie for hosting #weekendcoffeeshare. I hope you all have a beautiful week ahead. I need to remember to smile often and laugh more, life is too short to not enjoy it to its fullest! ❤
Horse Loving, family loving Gal,
~Diana ❤
A Tribute To My Sweet Miss Chloe
I am the luckiest person in the world to have this sweet beautiful horse in my life. I can’t even begin to describe the bond we had with each other and it was as strong as any bond you can have with any animal. Her and I have been together for 17 years. She has touched many lives, so many who have ridden her and everyone loved her as much as I did. I bought her when she was barely turning 2 years old. She did not know much and so we were set on a beautiful journey learning all the things together. Here are a few baby photos.
She came from a rescue in Hemet California. They had horses from a breeding program that was in a place up in Canada that breed big mares to collect their urine but the mares had to be pregnant. The urine was collected because there are huge pharmaceutical company’s that were extracting Estrogen from these mares to make a drug called Premarin for humans. When woman go through menopause it was the hormone Estrogen that keeps things in balance, but as it wanes the hot flashes start, mood swings can happen and so here is the circle of the need for pregnant mare urine to turn eventually into Premarin. The foals once the mares had them often were dumped or even euthanized as they didn’t need the babies, they just needed the pregnant mares. There was an outrage that happened and I do believe many places were shut down, and Estrogen nowadays come from plants and so the need waned as well. Rescues popped up and is how Chloe came to be and a local gal picked her out of a pasture of PMU babies. She landed at my barn that I boarded. The gal that owned her didn’t know a thing about training a horse to be ridden and she had to wait a few years as Chloe was so young. Her name when I bought her was Sapphire! I clearly think she’s a Chloe and changed her name.
She is about 6 years old in these two photos and is with her best friend Gracie. My best friend Sally owns Gracie and for many that have followed me now for years will know that Chloe and Gracie are the bestest of friends. We rode all over the Norco trails here in the town I live. There are so many WONDERFUL memories I won’t go over all of them here but it feels good to reminisce and so I am enjoying sharing. It is very bittersweet as again, if you have been reading my blog posts you will know that Chloe has been suffering from arthritis and an old injury to her stifle. Think of it as our knee, the stifle is high up on the back leg and she had a small fracture that was discovered when she was 9 years old. With help from my wonderful vet she lived another 10 years, just walking the trails and enjoying life to its fullest. I spoiled her like no other and she LOVED every minute. TONS OF TREATS, oh my she has my heart. ❤
I’ll cut to the chase, yesterday I had to say goodbye to my sweet girl. At night she always lays down for about an hours sleep. (They need about an hour of REM sleep most every night) I can see where she lays down as the shavings in her stall are always messed up as she digs in with her good back leg, she struggles to push her huge body up. The struggling on this last Monday night did significant damage to her right stifle. She could not bare weight on her leg Tuesday morning and I got a barn call from the folks that work there that she was not doing good and could barely walk. I knew on this day that it was time and have been preparing myself for many years for this day. I got to the barn and called my vet, an emergency call with a possible euthanasia. She deserves to not suffer any more as her lameness and arthritis in other legs has progressed to a point that every day she is stiff and limps. No NSaid takes all the pain away. I just make her more comfortable by giving them daily.
She is the most stoic horse I know and I have been looking for signs of her slowing down or not wanting to move. But almost every day we went for a short trail ride. She was always bright, happy, starving (not really starving, starving) but always wanted to graze on all the beautiful grass on the property. I let her do what she wished every single day which included a short trail ride most days and grazing! She never slowed, just limped on the uneven ground, never tripped just walked along without a care in the world. BLESS HER HEART! ❤
See how she rests her back leg in the photo? That’s the bad back leg and to see her practically hop around yesterday just broke my heart. When the vet arrived he said lets check for an abscess in her hoof as they are very painful. He could only numb or block her leg from the pastern down because you can’t pick up that leg or hoof. She has not had her back hoofs trimmed in years and amazingly enough the trail rides have helped (like filing) down her hoofs as she walked along. The bad hoof had grown a bit taller than the other one which flattened out over time with all the weight of her standing on it for years. The flares in the hoof on the good leg could be chipped off with clippers from the farrier. We did so much to try and keep her comfortable.
The leg blocking was negative for an abscess. We walked her out of her stall and she could not move her bad leg without lifting her hip up really high to like swing that leg forward. It was incredible, she had damaged that stifle so badly she could not move that leg forward like normal. After discussing her situation with my vet we both agreed that with her previous injury to that joint that there was no coming back from this reinjury. Euthanasia was the most kindest thing to do for her and she was so brave and didn’t show an ounce of stress with all that pain. She wasn’t panting, sweating, she just hobbled around. I think she has had enough pain and problems with that leg that even though it was so bad she just took it all in stride. She amazes me!
How she usually stands with that back leg cocked. I feel confident that with my kind and gentle ways with her I was able to give her 10 more years of life. My vet back when she was first diagnosed told me that we should think about euthanizing her, and boy was I shocked because I had no idea she had fractured her stifle until she was x-rayed. He stared at my face and looked at Chloe and said she sure is getting around good for this hairline fracture of her stifle. He said let’s treat her symptoms and so with his help we were able to be together for years to come. I am so honored and grateful to have these 17 wonderful years. My vet and assistant were so amazing and she was laid to rest so peacefully and my sweet Chloe is in no more pain. Run free my sweet girl! ❤
She gave the best kisses! I taught her to just put her nose up to my face much like this photo and she let you kiss her nose. Of course she expected a treat, but over the years you could just ask her for a kiss! So adorable, oh I am going to miss all those kisses. Thank you for reading my tribute to my sweet, loving most amazing horse. I thought it only fitting to write a tribute to my beautiful girl. I now have hundreds of old photos which I will bring back from time to time as I find reminiscing very cathartic. I am doing okay. I have been thinking about this day for the last 4 to 5 years. Yes, that long as every winter is harder for her. She struggled through this last winter but made it through. It’s so bittersweet, she is no longer in pain. LOVE YOU SWEET GIRL!
Run free my sweet girl and kiss Zack and Ranger!
~Diana ❤
Weekend Coffee Share; It’s May, Crafts And Horses!
Welcome to my coffee share, can I get you a cup of iced coffee or tea? It’s warming up outside and I am loving it so much. I think we could definitely sip on a cold beverage as we chat. For those of you who are mother’s ~ Happy Mother’s Day this weekend. I think of my mom up in heaven and know she is smiling down, thinking of her today. ❤ We use to give her a Mother’s Day weekend by giving her some time to herself. Growing up in a big family, our gift was a day or two with Dad as she always gave so much of her time to be the best mom to all of us kids. She gave me her love of flowers, one of her favorites gardenias. She also absolutely loved gardening and really wanted a green house, something that never happened during her lifetime. I always think of her when I see the blooms in my garden. Love you Mom!
I have been enjoying the warmth this weekend. This last week was very cool with overcast sky’s and never reaching 70 degrees. I drank in the coolness as the warm up is here, 88F(31C) degrees this weekend and it’s going up this next week into the 90’s(32C). This is what I am use to here in Southern California. I am ready for the heat as I rather missed it if I’m honest. I know not everyone likes the warm weather but I am very acclimated to it and do just fine. Its a dry heat with no humidity so I enjoy it immensely. 😀
We have been going through a bunch of boxes we had packed up and were storing for a future move one day in the future. We decided to go through and reorganize and donate stuff we really don’t need. We came across this container of match books. I am thinking my parents were collecting these as they are very old and mostly from restaurants! I shared them on my Facebook page and my sister told me her friend collects match books as a way of documenting her travels. That friend messaged me and said she probably has 2k match books! haha, that is a ton of them. Those of us that collect stuff knows we can accumulate a lot. We do have a collection my hubby and I started when we got married. We love the movies and our favorite was Star Wars so yep, we have many Star Wars collectibles!! Do you have collectibles? I would love to hear in the comments!
Onto my other love and that is crafts. I cross-stitch and crochet. I set aside my cross-stitch I was working on when my sister came to visit last month because she brought alpaca yarn. A friend of hers had her alpaca sheared and their wool spun. It is beautiful and so soft. I asked her what she would like and she told me hats. I have a wonderful pattern book with lots of hat patterns and we picked out 3 patterns. I only have photos of 2 patterns as she took the third hat home with her. She left the yarn with me and I have been making hats for her to give away as gifts this coming winter. They stitch up fast, so fun to make!
I have so much yarn that I could be making a ton of hats. I went through a scarf craze some years ago and made enough to give as gifts and gave so many away. I have enough family I could make these hats and send to family as gifts and if I really go crazy maybe I will make enough to sell at the local craft fair we have here in town. We will see, I do enjoy making things and am addicted to the crochet right now. I do want to finish my cross-stitch project too. I am about half way through that and need to finish it up soon. I also want to dig out my gardening book and follow the instructions and try and plant some veggies. I am trying to get motivated! For all of you who garden you may say what is the big deal? But I cut corners and the last time I tried to grow tomatoes I did not have much luck. I know it isn’t difficult, I just want to do it correctly. ❤
I am getting more organized with my time at the stables. I actually spend probably too much time there each morning even though I love every minute but if I want to garden then I need to carve out time in the mornings to water and do light gardening before the stables. It sounds easy but I go to bed pretty late and so I don’t get up very early, and I only have so much time in the mornings before I need to get ready for work. It’s all about priorities and like I said being organized! I can do it, I just need to plan. 😀
Happy ponies! Miss Chloe enjoys grazing as well and I am thankful we have the grass around the stables so they can graze away the hours. Haha, I could spend hours letting them eat but usually it’s about 15 minutes or so which they enjoy immensely. Murphy is really filling out as he has grown into his body. I’ll share a photo of when I got him, lets see the difference!
He looks pretty handsome in this older photo but for those who can spot the slight ribs he shows and he isn’t as muscled as a three year old. I have a photo that really shows his youth and I’ll share it here;
It is amazing how much they mature in a few years. It is fun to look back and the grazing photos don’t always show as much with their neck down as they get so much muscle in their necks as well! I am so enjoying both my horses so very much. They help keep me grounded and keep me focused on the task at hand. When I am with them I give them all my attention because horses can tell if you are not in the present. If your mind wonders or you aren’t focused, they know it! I also enjoy their interactions with me as we spend time together. They are such intelligent animals, so much we can learn from each other. 😀
Thank you for visiting today. I enjoy sharing and I hope you all have a wonderful weekend and week ahead. Thanks to Natalie who hosts the #weekendcoffeeshare link up. I will try and visit others if I have time this weekend. It is going to be another beautiful day tomorrow. I told my son for Mother’s Day I would like to see a movie. We are going to see Guardians of the Galaxy 3 as I love sci-fi and have seen the first 2 movies. I have heard great reviews as well. Happy Mother’s Day for all who have furry friends as we are moms to all our animals too! ❤
Family and Animal Lover,
~Diana ❤
Silent Sunday; Gratitude
Mylife-and-Horsestories 