Horses, Kids, Dogs,
Cat, 4-Wheeler, Dirt Bike, Hubby, Mother-In-Law, Exchange Student....
that would describe the title only of my paper or report about
my last vacation to South Dakota! We did it again, folks...
managed a five day get-away that was actually one of the most
relaxing trips we have ever had (can you imagine that?). Getting
out of the driveway is always a challenge, but leaving the animals
in the good care of Marisa while we were away soothed my guilty
conscience just a bit. After all, I know that Marisa has as
hard a time leaving the farm and animals as I do, so she was
sure to spend lots of hours here.
As usual, the night before our departure, Precious KC came up
to the gate for her nightly feeding ritual with the hugest bump
behind her leg that I have ever laid eyes on. Not only the feverish
swelling, but her knee was swollen from all the fluid that had
collected there as a result of the abcess behind the leg. I
moaned and ran for Craig, who moaned even louder and proclaimed
that whatever could go wrong to prevent us from going away usually
always does! We called the vet and she came out to inspect the
unknown growth and prescribed penicillin in large doses, DMSO
treatments, and confinement and bute. Great... now to teach
Marisa how to give shots. Good thing that Precious is a good
patient!
Then the worst and the best thing happened, whichever way you
want to look at it. My most prized and protected cat, Raffi,
wandered out underneath my son's friend's truck. If any of you
don't know Raffi, he is a nine year old long-haired tabby that
looks like Puss In Boots! He was born with cerebellar hyperplasia,
which closely resembles an ataxic form of cerebral palsy. He
walks with two steps or three steps, then falls over. He uses
his tail for a balance point, which usually sticks straight
up. He goes outside during the day, then comes in at night and
doesn't need a litter box - he is trained to hold it like a
dog! Well, when chore time comes at night, Raffi is following
me about the yard. I didn't realize that he had gotten as far
as my son's friend's truck and laid down. My son's friend started
the truck, and my son watched in horror as the back wheels struck
Raffi. Raffi ran into the grass as best he could, and Jordan
didn't have the heart to tell me about it. I realized something
was wrong and we were out to the vet for x-rays. Raffi has a
broken pelvis... but the best blessing being he could have been
killed! He is on cage rest now and recovering well. The only
thing the vet said was that Raffi should not be alone... how
do I break this to Craig?
Well, I had to...
so home I went and waited for him to be in the right frame of
mind to hear me out. The first words I heard from him were "OH
NO! WE ARE NOT BRINGING A CAT WITH US TO SOUTH DAKOTA TOO!!!!".
He was very angry about it for awhile.... but finally realized
that I would probably have to stay home if Raffi couldn't go...
so he resigned himself to taking Raffi along. Raffi traveled
well in the back of the trailer with the luggage, and adjusted
to life in the Black Hills even better than the dogs! Now that
he has been no trouble for this trip, maybe we can bring him
every time? Think I'm asking too much?
The riding was great, Janimal held up fine, and the kids and
other assorted people dear to our lives also shared in basking
in the hot dry sun, riding, 4-wheeling, and shopping the pawn
shops in Rapid City. It was hard to come back, but I was happy
to be home and now we have all settled quite nicely into swimming
lessons and meeting new potential foster children, since Greg
just moved out after 18 months with us. We will really miss
Greg!!!
Christine, our foreign
exchange student, is 19 years old. I am quickly finding out
that Danish and Norwegian languages are much the same, and yet
a lot different. I am having fun discussing cultural similarities
with her, and envy the fact that she has traveled so much -
Italy, Morocco, Paris, and other places I could only dream of
getting to any time soon. I guess when you live in a country
the size of Denmark (you can fit Denmark into Lake Michigan!),
it is easier to travel outside your homeland! She will leave
the first week in August, and I will miss her terribly already,
and she has become like a member of family.
Hannah, Lara, Corrie, William, Kyle, Dan, Hannah (again), Lara's
friend from Madison, Brittany, David, Mark, Katy - these are
just a few of the names of recent visitors to ASAP for either
riding lessons or day camp. I cannot forget, either, Christine
and Metta, both from Denmark, who both rode together for a few
miles on a recent sunny day. It was great hearing them talk
to the horses in Danish - Metta insisted that Janimal does not
understand Danish - but I think he was "pulling her leg"!
Neither Christine or Metta knew what "don't pull my leg"
meant, so I explained it. Now Christine is practicing it every
chance she gets! Day camp is finding me busy almost every day
of the week at the farm - this is the biggest year we have had
in history for kids and horses..............
Hannah has been riding Double O, but most recently she has taking
a strong liking to Scout. Hannah is a small 10 year old who
needed a smaller horse for the skills she was learning such
as haltering, saddling, grooming, picking out feet, etc. Scout
has been an excellent horse for the younger kids. Hannah even
put a saddle on Scout recently, which he has never had done
before, and he took to it like a fish in water! She jumped in
the saddle and rode him around with only a halter and lead rope
and he is certainly an obedient little guy for having no prior
riding experience. Now all the little ones take turns riding
him. Hannah really has a gift with horses, and it will be fun
to see her as we pursue further lessons in horsemanship. We
are hoping for someone to sponsor her for the USTA's CHAMP program
where she can earn trophies and ribbons for work with Standardbreds
- the sponsorship is $65 so if anyone is willing to pay that
either directly through the USTA or to us we would be grateful.
What we do with the kids is strictly as volunteers, but a program
such as the CHAMP program would be a big bonus for the kids,
and ASAP needs your support for this. We also have a 4-H club
from the Tomah area that will begin shortly and may enroll with
SEP and CHAMP through the USTA. Please help us help the kids!
Hey - I need everybody's help! If you can help us sell raffle
tickets for the Cam Fella Oil Painting and the Horse/Vacation
Giveaway (both of which will be drawn Super Night at Balmoral
Park), we want to ask you to contact us at asapinc@mwt.net or
call the office at 608-637-8045. The incentive is that the person
selling the most raffle tickets will get a $50 cash prize...
and we can keep you updated weekly or bi-weekly as to who is
selling the most so you know how many more to sell to keep up
with the leading salesperson. Contact us so we can mail you
tickets!!!!!!! I will be busy piggy-backing with the Illinois
Harness Horseman's Association at various sales and the state
fair, so look for me there if you want to get a ticket. I also
hope to make many county fairs if I can hold up!! If you think
you can assist me, please also contact me.
Cherie is in Mexico with a school group, and Jordan is on vacation
with a friend. Jordan is now 6'2 and growing at age 15. Zach
recently won a fishing tournament and took a first place trophy
for his 7.5 pound fish, and was a trout-catching maniac in the
Black Hills. Rachel is still a mommy's girl, but we are enjoying
swimming lessons for the next two weeks at the Lansing Pool
in Lansing Iowa. Both younger kids are diving off the board
already (my heart jumps when I see my 32 pound daughter going
off!).
We are all healthy
and thankful for the blessings each day gives. I continue to
pray for all of you who are going through tough times right
now, including health problems. You are in my thoughts and prayers.
Until next time,
Susan
