I got Sunshine on a Cloudy Day....

Sun Storm

Remember Sunny? My recently adopted mustang filly? She was delivered on Superbowl Sunday, and she was a mess. Covered in lice and scared half silly.

Sunny had been adopted the same weekend Darling and I adopted Quiet Storm eleven months ago. Her owners lost their home and moved out of state, relinquishing both of the two year old horses they'd adopted back in June. One was a gelding, the other was Sunny. I just had to share with you her before and after pictures!

Before... all shaggy, and checking out the scary chair!

Today...shedding out and showing a bit of shoulder muscle!

Before...notice the patches of hair missing; this is due to lice.

Today! We're still battling lice, but it's no where near as bad.
See the white line on her neck? That's her BLM freeze brand.

After three months here, Sunny still can't be allowed to roam without a halter and lead rope. She doesn't want to be caught, and she doesn't want to be touched. She just wants to be left alone (she does a terrific Greta Garbo!)

People often ask if these horses are at least halter broke when you adopt them. I find myself explaining time and time again..."Wild means wild. Take the size of a deer or an elk, and put the fright and flight factor of a wild rabbit onto it...do you think you'd be able to lead either one of those animals around with a halter?"

The answer is no. It should be a quick and easy no, but some folks have to ponder it a bit more, forcing me to go deeper. "Have you ever tried to catch a wild rabbit on foot? Did you succeed? And if you did, were you able to put a harness on it and take it for a walk?" Usually, they haven't succeeded in catching it. Those that have were left bleeding without ever attempting to take their newly caught wild rabbit for a walk. It's at this point they get it. Wild horses are wild. And big.

I can see the resemblance, can't you?

Not that I mean to call Ms. Garbo a horse face...I just happen to think Sunny is beautiful!

Now, playing with my pretty pony isn't all that I've done today. Nope. I also went to a wedding. But hey, can't keep you here all day, can I? So those photos and the story that goes with them will have to wait until tomorrow =)

Later, Gator!

The Lamb Must Die!

Spirit of the West

First, a big congratulations to Country Goalie for winning yesterday's caption contest! I'll be needing your contact information, dear...my email link is over there to the right.

******************

A while back, City Boy bought me a lamb. It was white. It was cute. Downright adorable. And so sweet of him to think of me.

However, the lamb must die.

The news of Darling's and my plan to consume the lamb upset City Boy. But Darling and I were hungry; it couldn't be helped. I mean, just how long did he expect me to keep it, anyway? Besides, it was Darling's idea. She's long been a lover of lamb, and the thought of this one just hanging around, doing nothing productive, was driving her crazy. And not just her. I must admit to having a bit of a craving myself.

Why the lamb, you ask? Why not some stranger from the supermarket, who's face we'd not grown accustomed to?

Because we were having a chocolate craving, that's why!

Pesky little lamb has been taking up space and not pulling his weight far too long. Time to die, little lamb!

Darling quickly removes the packaging

The little lamb is clueless as to his future

Darling points out that he is defective, therefore should not be kept around. Look! The backs of his ears are pink!

I think he suspects something; he's claiming to be a Japanese poodle...

It doesn't take Darling long to suck off the feet and seal his fate

Mmmm....lamb is luscious!

Look, Mom, a puppet!

How are we going to split the head evenly?

Ah...that works!

And that was the end of the lamb. City Boy is still in mourning. He misses seeing the lamb looking at him in the morning, I guess. But Darling and I are not feeling the least bit guilty. Nope! Not in the least.

Redneck Vampire Attacks Trailer Park

Photo Caption!

This photo will be used (most likely) in the Wild Horse Calendar, as well as on note cards and t-shirts. Winner gets a set of notecards; everyone who enters will have their name put into a drawing for the calendar once all the photos are selected.

This particular print is already on a Year at a Glance calendar, mugs and more at the Mustang Fever Store. Good luck!

*******************************************

After picking Darling up from school this afternoon, we stopped at Dodson’s for a quick snack. Walking past the check out stands I spotted one of those…er…newspapers. You know the kind; Alien Invades Body of Kitten, or Giant Sea Turtle Eats Empire State Building. Today’s attention grabbing headline was Redneck Vampire Attacks Trailer Park. Which left Darling and I wondering, are all you rednecks out there okay?

Before becoming distracted by redneck vampires, Darling was telling me about her day at school. “Mom, those kids have the worst grammar. I was walking past this girl who was headed to the office. Someone was asking her why she was going there. You know what she said? ‘I ain’t got no period’.” I looked at Darling, who suddenly realized how that sentence sounded. “So, sounds like a poor choice of words as well as poor grammar,” I said as we walked past the redneck vampire headline.

Darling was now laughing. Yes, she agreed, it was a rather poor choice of words. “But it gets worse, Mom. Kids were asking me what my shirt said. And they hadn’t heard of STYX! Mom! They didn’t know who Styx was! Can you believe it? Next thing you know, they’ll be saying they’ve never heard of the Beatles or Elton John!” A travesty, to be sure. Darling has been spending far too much time in the company of her oldies loving, Grammar Nazi brother, it would appear, to fit in nicely with her peers.

We were disappointed to find that our favorite glass bottled sodas were out of stock and had to settle for the plastic variety. Darling wanted chips. “Off to the pitchfork isle!”

I wanna be a Redneck Vampire and attack a trailer park!

ps...have you noticed the counter? Less than 2000 hits to go. I'm building up the prize basket as you read this!

Super Chick, the Movie

Okay, it's not exactly an action packed, super hero kind of movie. I mean, I tried tying a little cape around one of their necks, but it just didn't work like I'd envisioned it. So then we tried a shell, but it gave the chick a rather turtle-ish look, and the other chicks just laughed...

It's no secret that a domestic goddess I am not. And just to help solidify my claim to kitchen shame, I tried to burn up my tea kettle the other morning. My morning ritual is stumbling out of bed, starting the water, then pulling up the blog. I wait for the whistle and go make myself a cup of hot chocolate.

But as I was sitting here, completely consumed in photo shop, I realized that it'd been several minutes, and I hadn't heard my whistle. So I peeked out the door to the kitchen, and what did I see?

FLAMES!

Okay, not the first time, and probably not the last, that I've seen fire in the kitchen. This time the outside of the tea kettle was roasting nicely. I rather like the new color; gives it a rather vintage look, don't you think?

My 'new' vintage tea kettle.

Don't forget that tomorrow is Winsday! Plus, an update on The Screamer.

I'm going to go try to microwave water now in hopes of getting my morning chocolate fix. Cross you fingers that I don't set the microwave on fire!