A Year in Review: 2011

I've been trying for a week to write this post.  My fingers have objected heavily, and my brain was no help either.  I tried to tell all parties involved that all we had to do was copy, paste, and paraphrase, but nooo.   I finally discovered the wonders of Vicodin and in my loopy and pain-free state, decided that BLOGGING MUST HAPPEN NOW and so here we are.

Despite the beautiful weather outside, I can't help but listen to this song as I write:

Today is a good day, but the last few weeks (and months, and years, in their ways) have been tough.

Anyway, here's a look back at 2011.




BUT FIRST

I have a quick favor to ask: Could you guys help me kick off my first resolution of 2012, to be less of a pack rat?   I have way too much stuff sitting around my house waiting for the day I might find a use for it, and I need to start saving up for a saddle that really fits Jabby (and me!) better than the 30-year-old Passier we've been knocking around in.  I would be forever grateful if you could help me kill two birds with one stone -- and BUY SOMETHING!


The Review

-via Dom

At the start of the year Jabby and Willie were living in a pasture at work with Dom's horse Ozzy.  There was much silliness, and even more snow, with Jabby's presence inspiring more goofy antics than usual, but he and Oz kept each other entertained and out of Willie's hair, so it worked out well for everyone.  Dom got a new puppy, Herbie, who became fast friends with Jabby.  When we added a saccharine oldies tune, the thing skedaddled across the interwebs and we had ourselves a viral video.

It wasn't all fun and games, though.  After two long months of emotional rollercoasters and around $1400 in vet bills, we said goodbye to one of my beloved kitties.  It was the second kitty loss in two years, after his brother died abruptly in 2009.  For the first time I was in charge of the decision to let an animal go, and while I still second-guess the timing I know that ultimately I gave Calvin the best gift that we as humans can give our beloved companions -- a peaceful departure in a familiar, loving setting.

RIP handsome boys ♥

We unwound again with freejumping sessions, and as the winter dragged on I started exploring different ways to exercise the horses.  I still struggled with my prematurely aging body, and in an entirely unrelated incident, hacked off Willie's mane.  When an unpleasant situation got out of hand I moved Jabby to a separate boarding facility, intending it to be temporary, and began to make do with unconventional riding spaces.

-via Dom 

I said another goodbye, to a horse that I did not own, but spent a year loving and caring for all the same.

I said hello to a kitten, who tumbled into my life quite accidentally and never left, as proof that nature abhors nothing so much as a cat-shaped void. I never did get around to blogging about her, but here's Harley Quinn in action:

-via Dom

Nine months old, and nearly ten pounds already!

She's grown into a gorgeous, opinionated little (huge!) lady and whoops, completely and totally grew a personality to match her namesake.  When we calculated her birthday it even came to on or about April Fools' Day.

I finally got to visit the classic Devon Horse Show, and also wrote about a more local event near and dear to my heart.  Willie's eyes started acting funky again, and I eventually moved him to Jabby's new home when I decided I needed a better say in his overall management.  I started a new feature where I show off my shiny ponies and talk about how I keep them that way.  (A feature I am currently slightly overdue to update... Oops.)  I threw Jabby over fences again, and experimented more with ways to keep him happy and invested in his new lifestyle.

Safe & sound after Irene passed through.

I took another trip to an awesome place, found some awesome shiny things, and survived a not-so-awesome hurricane.  I tried, very hard, to deal with things the universe kept throwing at me without being able to blog much about it.   Dom left our workplace and our zany pony adventures ground to a (hopefully temporary) halt.

We said yet another goodbye, to a mare that I never met in person, but shared space in the blogosphere for several years.

I celebrated a year of insanity two-horse ownership, and FINALLY introduced Jabby to the chiropractor.

Then I celebrated five years of pretentiousness blogging!   I can't believe you guys haven't gotten sick of me yet!

Goofiness.  Dis how we do.

I did another review on a really awesome pair of boots, which came from a really awesome company, and my best (and only) Christmas present this year was the fact that they are still going strong!  You have no idea how many outfits I've designed for me and the boys based solely on the things that one can find on that website...

As autumn drew to a close, I tried more new things with Jabby and tormented him by making him work in all kinds of terrible conditions. Meanwhile, Willie got back to some old tricks, and I lamented the fact that he seems destined to spend this winter as a filthy hairy yak.

Over the last week, Jabby has done some slow hacking and a few bareback rides, one of which I had captured on some super dark and fuzzy cellphone video:

Willie toted our resident junior rider around again, even trotting a full circuit of our open-sided "arena" (see above) without stopping.  Her six-year-old sister got on and practiced lots of walk-halt transitions with minimal assistance, and after we were back in the barn the littler one said gravely, "Willie, you are such a good and calm horse."  Which is stuff I've known for years, but hearing it come so candidly from such a little kid just about made my shriveled heart grow three sizes.

For some news that I normally wouldn't blog about, but feel I should mention anyway, last weekend we checked in on my 83y/o great-aunt who had not answered her phone or door for at least two days.  My mother ended up calling the fire department to break into the house, and found her, alive but severely confused, sitting in the tub in her bathrobe.  Turns out she had a stroke and a heart attack, and after a few days in the hospital is finally stable and waiting to be moved to a full-care facility.  Her sister, my grandmother, has also been under the weather due to recurrent heart problems lately, and it's apparent that I come from a long line of hard-headed ladies that have difficulty listening to medical authorities.  (Whoopsies.)

It's been a year of extreme weather, extreme emotions, and extreme adjustments.  I can't say I'll be too sorry to see 2011 go.


The Future

On the days that I do feel like sitting down and inflicting my thought process on a hapless monitor, I have some ideas for new features and such, like Karen's idea to do a "barn life" series.   So while I gather my thoughts, share some of yours.  Is there anything you want to see more (or less)?  Anything you want to know about my daily routine, the farms I keep, or the horses in general?  Some details I can't really share but I'll be happy to try!

I am trying really hard to get back into going out and about this year, particularly with Jabby, although I'm entertaining the idea of finding a willing and able kiddo that would want to try bringing Willie, too.  Shipping will take some creativity but I'm determined to find a way!   And if my GMO ever gets back to me, I have lots and lots of volunteer credit I can use towards schooling shows and clinics.

I do have one happy thing to report about 2011 -- I kept one big goal and lost about 15 pounds, which I had not been able to do since blowing out my knee and turning into a blob with a limp.  Thank goodness the equestrian look is "in" right now, because I haven't been able to replace my wardrobe yet.  I've been wearing my breeches everywhere since they fit me far better than any of my jeans.  But if anyone asks, I am just that fashionable.

Here's to a better and brighter year in 2012.  Stay safe and kiss your ponies as they all celebrate unofficial birthdays tomorrow!