Monday, July 19, 2010

A not so great gift

Since the little bear turns 12 this week, I have been planning to take him to the zoo with friends and then his b'day party at his fave restaurant with family and friends. That is all a good birthday plan...also his ceremonial b'day pancakes, of course!
However, he has decided to test my resolve this week. I was on my way home from a long day at work Saturday and DH calls to say "Duncan cut his foot, bring home some bandage stuff". I stop at the little local store and pay dearly for some gauze and tape. I pop in the door at the house and into the bathroom where they are sequestered and lo and behold Duncan has a moon shaped lacerating that is almost 4cm. So I say Well we can cover it up with this, but we are going to the ER.
So we spent three or four hours at the ER, luckily had a very nice doc, a nurse that was okay with my neurosis about nosocomial infection and cleansing of the wound and Duncan was as good as could be expected.
I resisted the urge to laugh at the doctor when he said take the bandage off and let it get air after two days. While I agree with the method, I don't see Duncan leaving those sutures alone or keeping it clean so I will have to make a covering that gets some air while protecting sutures from his little hands and from dirt.
So...let's hope he is well enough to go to the zoo and party for his birthday!

Sorry no gorey injury picture!

Thursday, July 15, 2010

Three heads are better than one?

Okay so my arms weren't long enough to get a good picture...but the fact that Duncan was giggling when I took this makes me smile. I think this might have been Easter Sunday.

Wednesday, July 14, 2010

Heck of a morning.

I got up this morning determined that Duncan's fever, my overtired self, my farrier search and more that I will have a good day. I leave thirty minutes early to take a friend to work and my car stalls. I have to go back to the house (3 miles took 20 minutes) get my gas guzzling truck and head back out, while fever-riddled boy cried.
I am still determined this will be a good day. I will it to be so...then I find I might have to take my new foster horse before the horse I am babysitting leaves and thus have FIVE where four works better.

It is STILL gonna be a better day?

Monday, July 12, 2010

A great man

Well, it has been ages since I last posted. With Duncan off from school for the summer I have been busy with the business, him, the horses and life. I have still made a point to be Thankful on Thrusday, but haven't managed to post about it here. I am sorry I have been missing.

I am more sorry today that I am posting for this reason.

Saturday morning I was informed that Friday July 9th, my farrier (horseshoer) passed away. To many, this would seem like an unlikely reason to be overly sad, but he was a fantastic man. His name was Wayland Arney and he was also my friend.
I will share my memories of him here:
Wayland was so respectful of clients that most are shocked when I tell them he smoked, because he didn't in front of them. He loved my son, not in spite of his disability, but as if there was none. He told me a mere 10 days before he died "Life is short, do what you want". He smiled often, and the smile lines around his eyes, said it wasn't a new thing. He couldn't say enough good things about his daughters and family. He was loyal to those he loved, to the point of being willing to fight for them. He helped me to get a truck and trailer and in a way, made it so that now that he is gone I can find a new farrier even if I have to haul to them. He was loyal to a fault, even when my horse was a difficult case, there was drama or whatever, he came when he was needed. I believe that there are just people with whom we click, and because of who Wayland was, he was that person to alot of people. He didn't talk constantly and wasn't verbose, but when he spoke he was truthful and what he said mattered, well unless it was a joke and he was harrassing you!
I will find someone to shoe my horse, I hope they will do a good job, but my horse will never be as good without him and I will never forget him. Like all the too short relationships in our lives, he changed me forever. In his case for the good!

Goodbye Wayland...you were truly awesome!