C.S. Wilson's Blog, page 10
May 26, 2016
Auction Time! Auction Time! Ladies and Gentlemen, It's Auction Time!
Jay and I kept getting ads on Facebook about an upcoming tack auction, but the local one happened to be the same night as the EMM finals. It was a no-brainer as to which auction we were going to. I was a little disappointed to miss the tack auction, but got over it pretty quickly.
Well, Tuesday, lo and behold, we get another ad on Facebook for the same auction, just held at a different site. I remembered that the original ad said there would be multiple auctions, so Jay and I made a date of it.
We had a vague idea of what we were looking for, but we were mostly just going for fun. Since I have a black saddle, I thought maybe I'd find a black headstall for Skeets. Even though Pearl has joined the family, we weren't looking for things for her. We wanted to wait until we have our first lesson with Jessica to get an idea of saddle size before we bought one for her.
We got to the auction with only about 15 minutes to look through the inventory, so we kind of ran through and made mental notes of what we'd like. One of the things that caught my eye was a good wool/gel saddle pad. There was also a cute red synthetic kid's saddle that I thought we'd bid on. I was willing to pay $30 - it went for $105, so no kid's saddle for us.
The auction started and the floodgates opened. In the end, we had purchased a whole lot more than we intended to, but we got screaming deals on everything.
We had to buy four of these. Had to. I swear.
All of the horses, Pearl included, have at least four halters.
These hangers are a necessity.
And it's a really cute way to organize the tack room.
Digger broke his last knife, so when this went for $10, we had to buy it.
I didn't even know Jay was bidding on these blingy halters.
But they're kind of cute, so we might keep them.
He bought two red and a blue.
This is more bling than I'm used to, but it should match Skeeter's saddle okay.
And the bridle came with a matching breast collar.
I also really loved this headstall. I think Pearl is going to end up with this one.
We weren't in the market for another Aussie saddle, but Jay picked this one up for $90!
Smart wool and gel saddle pad. $45, couldn't beat it.
Contoured memory wool saddle pad for Jay's first Aussie saddle.
Big black wool pad. I'm not sure about this one, we'll see how it works out.
This was the last tack auction. The auctioneers were tired of the whole damn thing and it showed, so items went for next to nothing. We watched custom saddles, normally $2,800 go for $450 or less.
They finally pulled a row of saddles lined them up on the front tables, bid for choice and they went for $250 each. Then they'd add saddles to the front tables and bid for choice again. They did that over and over again, until all of the 100 saddles were sold. Some brand new saddles went for as low as $120. If we had known which ones would fit Pearl, we probably would have picked one up.
There was one lady there who was buying like she'd just won the lotto. She had to have spent $10,000, easy. At first, we thought she had a large herd she was buying for, but with the quantities she was buying, we changed our mind and decided she owned a store and was buying stock.
Despite the buying frenzy we were in, we managed to spend less than $450, which is pretty darn good considering what we brought home.
Now I can't wait to go play dress-up with Skeeter and Copper tomorrow!
Well, Tuesday, lo and behold, we get another ad on Facebook for the same auction, just held at a different site. I remembered that the original ad said there would be multiple auctions, so Jay and I made a date of it.
We had a vague idea of what we were looking for, but we were mostly just going for fun. Since I have a black saddle, I thought maybe I'd find a black headstall for Skeets. Even though Pearl has joined the family, we weren't looking for things for her. We wanted to wait until we have our first lesson with Jessica to get an idea of saddle size before we bought one for her.
We got to the auction with only about 15 minutes to look through the inventory, so we kind of ran through and made mental notes of what we'd like. One of the things that caught my eye was a good wool/gel saddle pad. There was also a cute red synthetic kid's saddle that I thought we'd bid on. I was willing to pay $30 - it went for $105, so no kid's saddle for us.
The auction started and the floodgates opened. In the end, we had purchased a whole lot more than we intended to, but we got screaming deals on everything.
We had to buy four of these. Had to. I swear.
All of the horses, Pearl included, have at least four halters.
These hangers are a necessity.
And it's a really cute way to organize the tack room.
Digger broke his last knife, so when this went for $10, we had to buy it.
I didn't even know Jay was bidding on these blingy halters.
But they're kind of cute, so we might keep them.
He bought two red and a blue.
This is more bling than I'm used to, but it should match Skeeter's saddle okay.
And the bridle came with a matching breast collar.
I also really loved this headstall. I think Pearl is going to end up with this one.
We weren't in the market for another Aussie saddle, but Jay picked this one up for $90!
Smart wool and gel saddle pad. $45, couldn't beat it.
Contoured memory wool saddle pad for Jay's first Aussie saddle.
Big black wool pad. I'm not sure about this one, we'll see how it works out.This was the last tack auction. The auctioneers were tired of the whole damn thing and it showed, so items went for next to nothing. We watched custom saddles, normally $2,800 go for $450 or less.
They finally pulled a row of saddles lined them up on the front tables, bid for choice and they went for $250 each. Then they'd add saddles to the front tables and bid for choice again. They did that over and over again, until all of the 100 saddles were sold. Some brand new saddles went for as low as $120. If we had known which ones would fit Pearl, we probably would have picked one up.
There was one lady there who was buying like she'd just won the lotto. She had to have spent $10,000, easy. At first, we thought she had a large herd she was buying for, but with the quantities she was buying, we changed our mind and decided she owned a store and was buying stock.
Despite the buying frenzy we were in, we managed to spend less than $450, which is pretty darn good considering what we brought home.
Now I can't wait to go play dress-up with Skeeter and Copper tomorrow!
May 24, 2016
Pearl's Freestyle
Trainers who place top ten in the Extreme Mustang Makeover competitions move on to the compulsory and freestyle competition. The combined scores from the top ten determine their placing.
Jessica puts together the best freestyles. They always showcase the horse's abilities and are fun to watch. We had no doubt she was going to make the top ten and looked forward to her freestyle. We were not disappointed.
To be clear, we were bidding on this mare no matter how she placed overall. I'd fallen in love with her on day one and we knew she had to be ours.
Jessica puts together the best freestyles. They always showcase the horse's abilities and are fun to watch. We had no doubt she was going to make the top ten and looked forward to her freestyle. We were not disappointed.
To be clear, we were bidding on this mare no matter how she placed overall. I'd fallen in love with her on day one and we knew she had to be ours.
Big News! It's a Girl!
A pearl is a thing of natural beauty, formed by grit, and when polished up and shown off is a understated symbol of class and elegance. And a wild pearl (not farmed) is rare, highly sought after, and highly valued. - Jessica DabkowskiJay and I have been keeping a secret. We fell in love with one of Jessica's makeover horses and decided to bid on her. Jessica pretty much always places in the top ten and as a general rule, her horses go for good money at the adoption auction.
We were looking for a spare horse - one that the kids, nieces/nephews, and L.E. could ride - and thought she would fit the bill perfectly. We had the opportunity to meet her while Copper was still in training at Jessica's and she was every bit as sweet as we'd hoped. Jay and I talked it over with L.E. and she agreed to let us bring a third horse onto the property. Then she surprised us even more, by offering to go in on her with us!
The three of us were pretty nervous at auction. The first horse on the block went for way outside our budget and we were certain that there was no way we were going to get her. After the first horse, though, prices came down to a more affordable range and we started to feel some hope again.
Jay did a great job of bidding, and waited until just the right time to jump in. We got her for a great price; not so low that Jessica didn't make any money, and not at the top of our budget.
Our trailer is not BLM approved, so we borrowed another neighbor's stock trailer to bring home our new little girl. She's six years old, a 2010 model out of the Divide Basin HMA (Herd Management Area) in Wyoming, and was likely part of the same gather Copper was. Copper's from the Adobe Town HMA, which is just across I-80 from Divide Basin.
Bringing her homeHer homecoming went very well. We put her in Estes' old pen for a couple of hours so she could graze and relax a bit before introducing her to Copper and Skeeter. We hoped for a smooth introduction, as she and Copper lived right next door to each other for about two months at Jessica's.(Turn off the volume - there's a fair bit of wind noise and some inane chatter.)
I didn't realize how much Skeeter and Pearl looked alike until we turned them out together. Skeeter is a true black, but with the sun bleaching looks like a dark bay, which is what Pearl is. Neither of them have much in the way of chrome on them except for their different facial markings. Thank goodness for the semi-permanent 16 on Pearl's hips.
I was concerned slightly on Monday that she wasn't being allowed to drink because Copper kept moving her off the water, so Jay pulled her from the pen and took her back over to Estes' pen. Oh boy, did I make a mistake in suggesting that! All hell broke loose. I figured that because Copper and Skeeter kept moving her off the food and water that they wouldn't give a damn if we moved her.
I was WRONG.
Wrongwrongwrongwrong.
Despite Copper being the one to keep moving her off the water, we moved him over to be with her in Estes' pen. He does not do alone well, and Skeeter throws a fit, but does alone slightly better.
They hollered back and forth and generally raised a ruckus for about half an hour. Then it got quiet. Like, suspiciously quiet, so I snuck out of the house to make sure Copper and Pearl hadn't jumped the fence and made a break for it.
They'd decided to make peace and each of them were face down in the grass. Even Skeeter finally quieted down once she realized they hay was all hers.
After another half hour of peace and quiet, we took Copper and Pearl back to the pen and turned them loose. Immediately, Copper started moving her around again. I kind of threw my hands up and said, "screw it". My biggest concern was that Pearl wasn't getting enough to drink, but after grazing on fresh grass and drinking in Estes' pen, I knew she'd be fine for the day.
I felt much better when L.E. posted a picture of the three of them laying down in their pile of hay.
They called a truce.This morning, Skeeter moved her off when I went to scratch her, but for the most part, I think the integration has gone pretty well. The plan is to give her the week off, and then Jessica will come out and do a lesson with us over the weekend.I look forward to all of our adventures :)
May 17, 2016
Day 14: My Life in 7 Years
Well, seven years from now Jay and I will have just celebrated our 14th wedding anniversary.
My eldest will be in his thirties.
The horses will be teenagers (and well-broke, I hope).
While I'd love to have our own property and a house we built, I'm not sure of the reality of that. It's a good thing that L.E. loves us and we love her.
I'll probably still be stuck working at a job at which I'm good, but not at all appreciated. I'll probably still be waiting on a raise since my last one was in July, 2011 and the company is in no hurry to do anything about it.
Or, maybe I'll have won the PowerBall and I will have turned into one hell of a philanthropist. That would be okay. Set the kids up with a touch of money, travel with the hubby and the horses, volunteer, and give money to worthy charities. Pat Striker, move over!
My eldest will be in his thirties.
The horses will be teenagers (and well-broke, I hope).
While I'd love to have our own property and a house we built, I'm not sure of the reality of that. It's a good thing that L.E. loves us and we love her.
I'll probably still be stuck working at a job at which I'm good, but not at all appreciated. I'll probably still be waiting on a raise since my last one was in July, 2011 and the company is in no hurry to do anything about it.
Or, maybe I'll have won the PowerBall and I will have turned into one hell of a philanthropist. That would be okay. Set the kids up with a touch of money, travel with the hubby and the horses, volunteer, and give money to worthy charities. Pat Striker, move over!
Day 13: My Commute To/From Work
I have the best commute. I wasn't crazy about moving out of my hometown, but Jay convinced me to give it a try. His argument was that the scenery on the way into town was amazing. He was right.
It's hard to leave our little slice of paradise each morning, but knowing I get to come home to it each night makes it easier.
We live right off a dirt road, that when dry, is one of the best roads I've ever driven on. When saturated because of rain and snow, like today, is treacherous. Digger has mentioned more than once that Salome is much more of a bad ass car than most of the perfectly shiny 4x4 trucks that run around town. I tend to agree. My poor Salome will get a bath in June to get rid of the mud, and she'll stay mostly clean until September or so.
The morning drive in is spectacular, especially in the spring, when everything is fresh and blooming. The snow-capped mountains set my mind at ease about the potential for wild fires. The years when there is little to no snow visible are the years that scare me. The Rocky Mountains run in my full field of view from left to right and I consider myself blessed that I get to see them each morning.
Just off the highway, to the south, is a piece of property that I just love. I look forward to seeing it each morning, just as I descend the rolling hill by the dump. The property is lined on it's north side by trees, but there is one lone tree (Russian Olive, I think) smack dab in the middle of the property, standing sentinel over the growing crops. For some reason, I love that tree. It stands tall and proud by itself through all the seasons. On occasion, I've seen a hawk hanging out at the top of it, looking for dinner.
As I near the base of the hill and look up past that property, I can almost imagine that there are no houses beyond it. For just a second or two at 65 miles per hour, I can fantasize that urban sprawl isn't intruding. For a short period of time, all I see is the green crop, the sentinel tree, and the great snow-capped Rockies beyond. My heart gets very happy.
More and more houses appear as I get closer to the city and my heart breaks a little bit more every time I see new construction. The rural power company recently put in a huge solar farm and I was ecstatic when I realized that it was a solar farm and not another 100 houses. I'm constantly amazed at how many people city planners will cram into small spaces.
Farms that were "out in the middle of nowhere" are being surrounded by urban sprawl. The people come. They demand HOAs and covenants and rules and the next thing you know, there are no more family farms.
I'm no longer tense and angry when I cross I-25 into the city, but for the first two years I commuted back and forth, the minute I crossed into city traffic my blood pressure sky-rocketed and I became a road rager. I think the anger came mainly from seeing how much the city has changed from the small, agriculturally-based town into Boulder, North.
In fact, I was talking to a friend last night who spoke to someone who was touring "Ag" colleges and CSU was on his list. He came, took a look at CSU and immediately took it off his list - CSU is no longer an "Ag" college. It bills itself as one, but has lost its way, which breaks my heart.
The drive home calms me, soothes my soul. As much as I loved my hometown, there is next to nothing I recognize of it. It's gone and I'm beginning to come to terms with it.
I'm not a naturally poetic person, but living in our little slice of paradise is good for me. It truly does soothe my soul. Jay and I are so blessed to live where we do.
It's hard to leave our little slice of paradise each morning, but knowing I get to come home to it each night makes it easier.
We live right off a dirt road, that when dry, is one of the best roads I've ever driven on. When saturated because of rain and snow, like today, is treacherous. Digger has mentioned more than once that Salome is much more of a bad ass car than most of the perfectly shiny 4x4 trucks that run around town. I tend to agree. My poor Salome will get a bath in June to get rid of the mud, and she'll stay mostly clean until September or so.
The morning drive in is spectacular, especially in the spring, when everything is fresh and blooming. The snow-capped mountains set my mind at ease about the potential for wild fires. The years when there is little to no snow visible are the years that scare me. The Rocky Mountains run in my full field of view from left to right and I consider myself blessed that I get to see them each morning.
Just off the highway, to the south, is a piece of property that I just love. I look forward to seeing it each morning, just as I descend the rolling hill by the dump. The property is lined on it's north side by trees, but there is one lone tree (Russian Olive, I think) smack dab in the middle of the property, standing sentinel over the growing crops. For some reason, I love that tree. It stands tall and proud by itself through all the seasons. On occasion, I've seen a hawk hanging out at the top of it, looking for dinner.
As I near the base of the hill and look up past that property, I can almost imagine that there are no houses beyond it. For just a second or two at 65 miles per hour, I can fantasize that urban sprawl isn't intruding. For a short period of time, all I see is the green crop, the sentinel tree, and the great snow-capped Rockies beyond. My heart gets very happy.
More and more houses appear as I get closer to the city and my heart breaks a little bit more every time I see new construction. The rural power company recently put in a huge solar farm and I was ecstatic when I realized that it was a solar farm and not another 100 houses. I'm constantly amazed at how many people city planners will cram into small spaces.
Farms that were "out in the middle of nowhere" are being surrounded by urban sprawl. The people come. They demand HOAs and covenants and rules and the next thing you know, there are no more family farms.
I'm no longer tense and angry when I cross I-25 into the city, but for the first two years I commuted back and forth, the minute I crossed into city traffic my blood pressure sky-rocketed and I became a road rager. I think the anger came mainly from seeing how much the city has changed from the small, agriculturally-based town into Boulder, North.
In fact, I was talking to a friend last night who spoke to someone who was touring "Ag" colleges and CSU was on his list. He came, took a look at CSU and immediately took it off his list - CSU is no longer an "Ag" college. It bills itself as one, but has lost its way, which breaks my heart.
The drive home calms me, soothes my soul. As much as I loved my hometown, there is next to nothing I recognize of it. It's gone and I'm beginning to come to terms with it.
I'm not a naturally poetic person, but living in our little slice of paradise is good for me. It truly does soothe my soul. Jay and I are so blessed to live where we do.
May 12, 2016
Photo Shoot
This is not the post I should be doing, but it's the one I'm going to do. I'm behind a bit - there's a post about Skeeter's trailer-loading lesson last week, and one about Mom and Bill working with the horses yesterday, but I don't feel like doing those quite yet. Instead, I bring you our fashion shoot.
The U.S. Wild Horse and Burro Association sells these beautiful red, white, and blue "American Mustang" halters. I bought one for each of Mom and Bill's horses for Christmas last year, and Jay and I each received one for volunteering with USWHBA at the Rocky Mountain Horse Expo (Colorado Mustang Days).
They are not our "every day" halters, but will be used for any "ambassador" duties the horses have; any place they go with the USWHBA. We hadn't put them on the horses until today. For Mother's Day, I bought Mom lead ropes for Jesse and Washoe that match the halters, and while I was doing that, bought lead ropes for us as well.
Since both horses' halters and lead ropes are identical, I put Skeeter's "gotcha" present on hers so we can tell them apart. We need to get one for Copper's halter as well, because when we're at a mustang event everyone has these halters and it would be very easy to end up with the wrong halter.
Skeeter's halter tag; a gift from my dear friend Glenna (Tara Janzen)
The back of the tag.
Can you tell Copper's not very excited about his photo shoot?
"Please Dad, can we be done?"
I just love this tag :)
Big Red Horse was d-o-n-e with the photo shoot.
The U.S. Wild Horse and Burro Association sells these beautiful red, white, and blue "American Mustang" halters. I bought one for each of Mom and Bill's horses for Christmas last year, and Jay and I each received one for volunteering with USWHBA at the Rocky Mountain Horse Expo (Colorado Mustang Days).
They are not our "every day" halters, but will be used for any "ambassador" duties the horses have; any place they go with the USWHBA. We hadn't put them on the horses until today. For Mother's Day, I bought Mom lead ropes for Jesse and Washoe that match the halters, and while I was doing that, bought lead ropes for us as well.
Since both horses' halters and lead ropes are identical, I put Skeeter's "gotcha" present on hers so we can tell them apart. We need to get one for Copper's halter as well, because when we're at a mustang event everyone has these halters and it would be very easy to end up with the wrong halter.
Skeeter's halter tag; a gift from my dear friend Glenna (Tara Janzen)
The back of the tag.
Can you tell Copper's not very excited about his photo shoot?
"Please Dad, can we be done?"
I just love this tag :)
Big Red Horse was d-o-n-e with the photo shoot.Day 12: A Phrase That Makes Me Laugh
"K, so" is a phrase I'm trying to erase from my vocabulary when I'm teaching. I find I use it a lot when trying to explain something. The thing is, it comes out sounding like "queso". You know, cheese.
I'll be lecturing along, explaining a concept and when I'm ready to move on, I just know I'm going to say, "K, so..." and I'm powerless to stop. I know that it comes out sounding like "queso", so then I think "cheese" and it completely derails my train of thought.
My students at first were confused when I'd say "K, so" and then start to giggle, but I finally let them in on my private joke and now just groan at me.
Hey, if I can't laugh at myself, I shouldn't be teaching :)
I'll be lecturing along, explaining a concept and when I'm ready to move on, I just know I'm going to say, "K, so..." and I'm powerless to stop. I know that it comes out sounding like "queso", so then I think "cheese" and it completely derails my train of thought.
My students at first were confused when I'd say "K, so" and then start to giggle, but I finally let them in on my private joke and now just groan at me.
Hey, if I can't laugh at myself, I shouldn't be teaching :)
Day 11: My Current Relationship
This is a rather timely prompt, as our 7th anniversary is just a couple of days away.
I had to have some oral surgery done on the 10th, which just happened to be Jay's birthday and the dentist, hygienist, and I were talking. I mentioned it was his birthday and then mentioned that our anniversary was coming up on the 14th. They jokingly said, "seven years of wedded bliss, but how much time was not wedded bliss?"
That started me thinking - maybe five days? I mean, it's not like every day is a honeymoon, but for the most part, yeah, seven years of wedded bliss.
We just fit.
We're definitely not the have-to-fight-all-the-time-to-realize-how-much-we-love-each-other type of couple. I know there are a lot of people out there who believe that constant fighting and making up shows passion. I think that kind of "love" requires entirely too much energy to maintain and it's just a hop, skip, and a jump to full-on crazy and/or abuse.
We're also not the all-over-each-other-all-the-time couple. We love each other and support each other, but after that first kiss, we're not so much PDA-type people. We can be overly cutesy at times, but usually only at home. And, I will admit we talk in our own cutesy, short-hand way. But again, usually only at home.
We're more the we've-been-married-100-years-already kind of settled. I don't mean settled in a bad way, either. I mean, we're comfortable, content, and we each know who we are. I think that both of us being older (mid- to late-thirties) when we got married helped. I know who I am; he knows who he is and we accept each other. We don't need each other, but we damn sure want each other and I think that counts for a whole lot.
Marrying Jay was the best decision I've made.
I had to have some oral surgery done on the 10th, which just happened to be Jay's birthday and the dentist, hygienist, and I were talking. I mentioned it was his birthday and then mentioned that our anniversary was coming up on the 14th. They jokingly said, "seven years of wedded bliss, but how much time was not wedded bliss?"
That started me thinking - maybe five days? I mean, it's not like every day is a honeymoon, but for the most part, yeah, seven years of wedded bliss.
We just fit.
We're definitely not the have-to-fight-all-the-time-to-realize-how-much-we-love-each-other type of couple. I know there are a lot of people out there who believe that constant fighting and making up shows passion. I think that kind of "love" requires entirely too much energy to maintain and it's just a hop, skip, and a jump to full-on crazy and/or abuse.
We're also not the all-over-each-other-all-the-time couple. We love each other and support each other, but after that first kiss, we're not so much PDA-type people. We can be overly cutesy at times, but usually only at home. And, I will admit we talk in our own cutesy, short-hand way. But again, usually only at home.
We're more the we've-been-married-100-years-already kind of settled. I don't mean settled in a bad way, either. I mean, we're comfortable, content, and we each know who we are. I think that both of us being older (mid- to late-thirties) when we got married helped. I know who I am; he knows who he is and we accept each other. We don't need each other, but we damn sure want each other and I think that counts for a whole lot.
Marrying Jay was the best decision I've made.
May 10, 2016
Day 10: A Fruit I Dislike and Why
Is cantaloupe a fruit? I'm going to call it a fruit since it shows up on so many fruit platters. Also, honeydew melon.
I don't like either of them and I can't really tell you why - they just don't appeal to me. I don't like the texture, the flavor, any of it.
I do like watermelon, if that's any consolation. In fact, at King Soopers you can buy watermelon "fillets", so I do. And then I munch on it all afternoon. It's a great snack. Yum. Now I wish I had some watermelon, darn it.
I don't like either of them and I can't really tell you why - they just don't appeal to me. I don't like the texture, the flavor, any of it.
I do like watermelon, if that's any consolation. In fact, at King Soopers you can buy watermelon "fillets", so I do. And then I munch on it all afternoon. It's a great snack. Yum. Now I wish I had some watermelon, darn it.
May 9, 2016
Day 9: My Feeling on Ageism
I don't know that I've ever put much thought into ageism.
Or any of this -isms, actually.
I know there's a lot of prejudice in the world, and it seems to be getting worse, but I'll be damned if I contribute to it. I'm of a mind that we need to treat people the way we want to be treated. The Golden Rule and all that jazz.
I'm also of a mind that if we spend too much time pointing out the differences between people, just so we can prove how blind we are to the -isms, that we're actually broadening the gap between people.
I don't care about anyone's age, color, gender, religion. I really don't. Whether or not they're a lazy asshole is a totally different story.
Or any of this -isms, actually.
I know there's a lot of prejudice in the world, and it seems to be getting worse, but I'll be damned if I contribute to it. I'm of a mind that we need to treat people the way we want to be treated. The Golden Rule and all that jazz.
I'm also of a mind that if we spend too much time pointing out the differences between people, just so we can prove how blind we are to the -isms, that we're actually broadening the gap between people.
I don't care about anyone's age, color, gender, religion. I really don't. Whether or not they're a lazy asshole is a totally different story.
