Busy busy busy - stay tuned for cat haven photos

Today got away from me. Mystic had a follow-up appointment with his cardiologist and it took much longer than I thought it would. He's actually doing great and his doctor is very happy with his progress. However, now that he's home and clear of all the meds that were being used to stabilize him after the heart failure last week, it's clear that he will need to be on the full set of medications to maintain his progress.

Since he's been taking his meds in food there's not been any stress involved so I hope we can manage with these new pills the same way. He's gained a full pound since coming home and they're thrilled with that. We're going to keep rolling with 3 meals a day.

I also had a deadline for a submission that snuck up on me and when we got home I went to the barn, hung out with the herd for awhile, gave some hay, and then dashed back in to get to work.

Just hit submit on that and now the light isn't good for cat haven photos.

So - hope to get that series of posts rolling on Monday.

On with April and the long string of birthdays we celebrate this month! 

One of the last photos of HRH Salina

the goddess would have turned 33

Three years ago I wrote a blog post about Salina, our black goddess mare, turning 30 years old.

That turned out to be her final year but her spirit lives on here on November Hill.

This is what I wrote about her in March 2013:

Tomorrow Salina turns 30 years old. She was born in Germany to two Hannoverians, Kurtisane and Salut, and was branded as well as entered into the Main Mare Book as she got older and went to inspections.

She was imported as a brood mare to the U.S. Somewhere along the way she was trained to at least fourth level dressage, lost an eye, and developed arthritis in both knees.

When she was 23 she came to live with us on November Hill. I have said before: I saw her photograph and fell in love with her spirit and personality, and although originally I thought she would be a therapy horse for my clients, in the end she has turned out to be a therapy horse for me.

She can be high-strung, is very opinionated, and has been high maintenance from the beginning. She gave me some of the most advanced rides of my life, taught me about hoof abscesses, senior feeds, arthritic joints, helping horses get up when they can't do it on their own, and is teaching me now about Cushing's disease.

She became, early on, my sister in spirit at the barn. If anything goes on here and I don't know about it, she tells me. She has come to my bedroom window in the night and woken me with her insistent, urgent, whinny. On many occasions I have felt pain in my own body at the site of her aches and pains.

The most important thing and the first thing she taught me was to center myself when asking for anything from a horse.

She is wise and beautiful and we love her.
Happy birthday, Salina! I'll add a birthday portrait tomorrow, but wanted to get this up today.

Everything she taught me still holds true. I miss her physical body. She loved being pampered and groomed and fussed over. Now and then I glance out and see her standing in the barnyard or the front field, and then when I do a double-take she's gone again. I talk to her at least a few times a week when I pass her burial mound. I sometimes say her name out loud to the horses and donkeys and tell them how much I miss her.

As I type this I am no longer moved to tears thinking of her. I think that means she's part of me now, the grief has transformed to something sweeter - the memories that live inside. 

Happy birthday that would have been, sweet Salina-bina. 

Proud mom, physics, and nanowires!

I'm so proud of my son's passion for physics and his ability to take complex material and make it accessible. Check out this video of his presentation on the research he's involved in right now at UNCA. It's compelling in terms of the content and I also love the fact that his professors have become mentors for him in his undergraduate career. Dr. Perkins is a terrific professor - I've sat in on one of his classes and enjoyed his teaching style, his expertise, and his engagement with students. 

Dylan Cromer's presentation of undergraduate research at UNCA on Apr 7, 2016

Computational Modeling of Surface Enhancement in Ferroelectric Lithographic Nanowires

http://youtu.be/RyVAHHBS8Bc

OR, watch right here:

I missed some November Hill birthdays!! First let's celebrate Cody!

This is one of my favorite photos of Cody, our newly-13-year-old QH. It is out of season for us living on November Hill but for many of you it may be exactly what you're seeing out your windows this spring.

Cody came to us when he was coming 3 years old. He's been a wonderful addition to the herd here. My son rode him lightly the first couple of years and as he matured he had regular training rides with our trainer at the time, with me, and with my daughter as she started growing. He's done some Pony Club stuff with my daughter and mostly combined training work. Once we assured him we didn't expect the contracted, pinched Western Pleasure way of going that he'd originally been taught (at age 2!) he opened up and now uses his body in a beautiful way.

Cody is calm and steady for the most part, but in other ways he is my "problem horse." Only in the sense that he has PSSM and I have had to scramble to learn a lot about diet and nutrition and the way muscles work inside the equine body. Because of Cody I learned how to balance the equine diets individually and I've learned a lot more than I ever knew about bringing a horse into work and creating a routine that facilitates soundness under saddle and over time.

Cody was the horse chosen to babysit Rafer Johnson's first night here - Salina was over the top with mama love so she needed a day to settle down!

Cody is Keil Bay's best friend, Redford's most eager playmate, and the one equine who will play with the pony without getting too annoyed at his antics.

Years back when the neighbors shot off fireworks and the rest of this herd (including me) were running around like crazy it was Cody who walked to the middle of the arena and stood enjoying the show.

He's a wonderful horse. Responsive and sensitive under saddle, always eager to please. And now he's a teenager! Happy Birthday Cody!! We look forward to many years to come.