Matt's SURPRISE party!

And I actually was able to pull it off with the help of friends! Matt is leaving to go work for a new company so we decided to throw him a surprise going away party...I'd say though that the majority of the people that came were passed co-workers- they got out earlier :-p

And NO I did not make this cake the friend that helped me put the party together had a friend make it!

The major planning began on Saturday afternoon when I had to make up a story for leaving the house during the day- so unlike me. So I told him I was going to the local tack shop. Instead I met up with a friend from work and we went shopping- in the total opposite direction of the tack shop. I thought for sure my cover was blown when I got a voicemail from Matt telling me he saw me at Publix and he wanted to know what I was doing:-o So I thought fast on my feet and said I had to go to the other tack shop in town and then stop by the store and get some carrots- because I wouldn't be able to do it later when I had the girls (dogs) in the car to go to the farm. Disaster adverted:-) Sunday was the day of the party and I made sure not to ask too far in advance if Matt would go to the farm with me (that's where the party was), if I did then he would know something was up... So I waited midday and asked if he'd come watch me ride because the barn owners would be gone and it's a rule that someone must be on the property in order to ride. So Matt, as always, reluctantly agreed to go:-) I wasn't sure what was the best time for us to show up, I didn't want to go too early or too late. I woke him up from a nap around 3:30 and told him to get ready to go- I had tried earlier in the day to get him to take a shower without him becoming too suspicious, but that was a no-go. It usually takes him 10-15 minutes to wake up from a nap and it usually takes sending Limo in to get him up. But of course not this time. He was up and ready to go so I had to delay a little here and there which made him pretty mad. Finally I say we can go and load the dogs in the car and we are all in the car about to leave and I realized that I forgot my veggie burgers! I would have nothing to eat at the party...so I have to run back in the house with the keys, leaving Matt and the dogs in the car in the heat:-p I couldn't very well just bring out my veggies burgers so I put them in two plastic bags and shoved a bag of apples in there also. I thought for sure I was going to get the third degree of what was so important and what was in the bag, but to my relief he didn't even ask:-) I even had to wear my breeches so as to make him think I was riding one of the horses.

Because I had made him and the dogs wait in the hot car he wasn't very happy with me, he even got grumpy lol. So I text my friend that I was on the way with a grumpy Matt. Last time I asked him to accompany me to the farm for the reason of no one being there while I rode, it turned out I was wrong and there were several people there. So when we pulled into the gate and down the driveway and he saw cars he got pretty mad and said "see I told you people would be here, I'm just dropping you off!" As we got closer and he recognized the people he turned red and told me I was stupid:-) I was the only one that really got to see his reaction, but he was definitely surprised! And I had pulled it off with all my web of lies:-) At this point he became ungrumpy.

The girls got to stay out for the whole party too and they were both very well behaved.

Lester with a party goer...

Limo guarding the Margarita bucket...not really:-)

The guys played volleyball

The girls watched and drank:-)

even Limo wanted to play...

Peanut followed me wherever I went

Limo got some "special" attention

Belk Charity Sale

Welcome to Belk Limo says.
Southeastern Greyhound Adoption is participating in the Charity Sale at Belk through May 2nd...Tickets are only $5 and entitle you to $5 off your purchase on May 2nd and also get you in a raffle on May 2nd to win a $1,000 dollar shopping spree at Belk!

So my friend Dawn has been selling these tickets for over a week now and me and the dogs met her up at Belk tonight with her daughter Savannah, the sale guru. I know we were trying to raise donations for the greyhounds, but Limo had to tag along because I felt guilty leaving her at home. She growled a few times at Tom Haygen the other GH, but for the most part she was good and was a good lure showing off her odd self. Course I brought the camera so I could take pics of dogs in a department store. This outing really made me realize how far both Limo and Peanut have come. Limo wasn't afraid of the children wanting to pet her nor any of the odd set ups, she just took it all in and thought everyone was there for her. I really thought Peanut was going to be a huge whiner about the whole thing and cry for each person's visit, but she was quiet the whole time. Savannah was the big seller of the night and did all the "leg" work. She took Peanut all around the store and solicited ticket sales while Dawn and I kicked back at the table and chatted:-) we both laughed and agreed that we aren't "people people"that can just talk to strangers easily. As we sat at the table a mom and 2 kids came in and Dawn and I smiled and said Hi, but there wasn't anymore contact- she didn't really seem interested and we didn't press it... well not 5 minutes later I look over and see Savannah and Peanut standing with the same people and mom writing out a check:-) Damn that girl can sell, LOL.

Peanut was the embarrassment of the night though:-x During her fourth lap around the store she pooped! Bad dog! And we had just taken them out to poppy not 15 minutes or so before...I was standing up front with Tom and Limo and Savannah came running up to me and told me what she'd done. We swapped dogs and she disappeared to go tell her mom. Then a sales lady came up to me and told me if I knew that one of the dogs had had an accident and I said yes that it was being taken care of...she was not happy to say the least and not a dog person! So I asked another sales lady for a "baggy" and went to look for the poop. I found some remnants by another sales lady -she must of been the look out person...Dawn had already cleaned up most of it, but had gone back to the bathroom for more towels. I said I was soooooooooooo sorry my dog did that and she said "Oh, nothin I haven't seen before", LOL, I said yes, but I'm sure you haven't seen it in the store! She was nice about it, the other lady was not.

I think Limo should be the next Clinque model, don't ya think?

Girls Gone Wild

Ha, I won't say the next obvious line, don't worry :-) Be careful what you ask for Limo...



I had to laugh at Nut the other day because I was preparing horsie food and I knocked off one of the buckets from the counter top, spoon and all - BAM! Right in front of Nut, she just stood there, didn't flinch and checked to see if there was anything good to lick... Limo of course was OUT OF THERE and she wasn't even near it:-)

How to exercise a greyhound part II

The pic and the videos were taken about 2 weeks ago...my blogging is never up to date is it:-) oh well.
Two posts ago I told you about the instructor I've known for many many years and that I recently took a lesson with her... She's got a great eye for how the horse travels and even though I can't take lessons on Lester or take him to her place (her riding ring is sand and that footing is too deep and challenging for Less) so I asked her to stop by the farm and watch us go and tell me what she "sees". Kinda like a mounted lameness examination. Less tripped/stumbled about 6 times (I was happy he did so too because THATS what I wanted her to see, that and his head bobbing to the right). I can't ever feel which leg it was and I knew she'd be able to tell me. I thought for sure she was going to tell me he tripped on the right hind every time, but nope, whether he's tracking left or right it's always the inside hind that is "lost". She said his stiffness comes from high up like in the stifle area which to me backs up the back injury/problem theory. I was so happy that she took the time to stop by and watch us go, she gave me hope that I can still get on him and do stuff:-) We both agree not to over do it or make him do lateral or a ton of collected work, but she didn't see a problem with me asking him to come and stay round- it's a better way to travel for all, lol. Strangely he didn't head bob for her to the right, makes me wonder that I rode him differently when she was there... because the video of us going to the right 2 days later clearly shows him bobbing a bit.
So about the video, Peanut was a cling-on that day! She was all up in Lester's space! The little hop he does at her, I swear felt like a buck, lol, but as you'll see it was nada. He also never lost his hindend during the videos or that entire ride...

Be sure to click on the HQ, it's much better viewing even though it takes a bit longer to load.



And Lester tracking to the right:


It has been raining on and off for a month now- mostly on- straight up down pours for days! I was able to ride Basonge a couple of times, but I couldn't remember the last time I'd been on Lester since the videos so Wednesday was Lester's day... everything was so damp and it was a bit cool and cloudy. During our exercise jog (I always jog him out first before I get on-I learned that the hard way) he seemed a bit "uppity', but he was a very GOOD boy. No spooking, balking or major fussing. We had some very nice round and soft moments:-)
Having been around another horse lately tacking up and mounting, it just makes me love my pony even more! Less ground ties, but if I do tie him he just stands there and never moves- I can even go out of sight and he just chills (course he knows he gets a treat when I get back:-P)you know how some horses have to go from side to side and just are little busy bodies? I also love that Less never poops in the barn-NEVER! He does after a ride sometimes in the washrack, but it's not a habit. Basonge gives me dirty looks now when I brush or tack him up, his little ears go a little flat and his little lips wrinkle.... Less has never made an ugly look for being tacked up-NEVER! and I guess I forget how rare that is to not have a horse wag their head, clinched their teeth, flatten their ears or just do something to show their disgust in being girthed!

(I'm sorry for being a bad blogger commenter lately:-( I will catch up soon, hope everyone is doing well!)