So it turns out I'm just as bad with keeping up with an online blog as my hand written journal...been forever since I wrote in here. Guess I'll just give you the most recent gossip...

Starting with ponies of course! Cinder's been on 2 mg of bute each day now for...3 weeks? Seems to be making a big impact! I can do walk/trot/canter and usually get a nice calm walk afterwards to cool her out rather than hand walking her. She's started leaning while working on a circle, like to the point where I have to counter lean! I don't know how to ask her to stop doing it either...last ride I got frustrated and took her back in the round pen. Moki was riding Zierra with us so Cinder thought it was all just a big race...still the same horse! Eve, the big brat, has just discovered that she's bigger than me. She's taken to REARING whenever she doesn't like what I'm asking her to do whether that's walking forward or backing up, if she doesn't want to, she just stands on 2 legs for about 10 seconds. I've never dealt with rearing when I'm on the ground...not sure what to do? Moki said to make her back up...will try that. But as soon as I put pressure on the halter to make her back up, she goes UP again! Fricken...STOP DOING THAT!!! I have to admit, now that she's a little older and figuring out where her feet are, she's not as calm and quiet as she used to be. Being quite the cheeky monkey lately...like today...she's always gently backed up to me and brushed me with her tail to ask for a butt scratch...today I was on the phone with Moki and standing on the feed tire (tractor tire) and she was loose in the round pen with me - she backed up to me like she usually does, and when I didn't instantly give her scratches, she cocked her back leg and booted the tire I was standing on!!!! I was like HEY! I kicked her back square in butt...don't kick at me when I'm on the phone...come to think of it, DON'T KICK AT ME! Brat...she kinda makes me nervous. I've dealt with 2 year old tantrums before...but they were 12hh...Eve's around 15.1 right now and not anywhere NEAR finished growing...guess I'll take it as it comes and do my best - that's all I can do.

Now onto stress...Moki's dad is doing a little better, sorta. He had his leg surgery finally and is able to get out of bed, took him outside a couple times now and we were able to wash his hair for him...today was promising. Not only did he get his first lesson with crutches and do ok, but he wheeled himself in the chair almost the entire time we were there AND got himself back into bed without the walker. Doesn't sound like much, but I could tell it meant the world to him to be able to do the little things again. I was having a hard time sympathizing for a bit there...he's ok, just his leg...no dude, he's feeling it everywhere. I started staying at Moki's parent's place with her alot this week just to "put myself in her shoes" and man, are they tiring. I'm happy to do what I can to help though, really, I am. Not much that I can do other than hold his leg while he hops into different chairs or help him lower/raise the bar on his chair...but every little bit counts.

Well, that's all for now...later!