The Final Post

 Hello Kind Readers!

It has been an age since I last posted, therefore it should come as no surprise that this will be my last post on this blog.  It's been 10 years since Junior,the original star of the blog, passed away and it's been pretty clear for a long time that this was his blog, not mine. I am ready to admit it just isn't where I need to spend my energy these days.  I loved the years that I blogged regularly and found it really helpful to voice the things I was anxious about, keep a record of things, and connect with other horsefolk. 

I've met a lot of cool people through this blog, several of whom I consider life-long internet friends! Hopefully if any of you long-time readers are still accessing my blog, you've already found me on the other socials.  If not, feel free to email me and I'll connect you - there's an email link over on the right, way down at the bottom. If you're no longer interested in following me, that's cool, too.  I hope you found something here that made you smile.  

So a bit of a catch-up before I retire...

I still mourn Junior, but it's certainly not as heavy to carry.  This week it was a little closer to the surface with the 10th anniversary, but mostly good memories and gratitude for all he taught me.  I'm still saddest about the fact that we'd just found our future with ranch, and he would have been PERFECT for Western Dressage and Liberty, but we didn't get the chance to try. Everything happens for a reason.

Kevin is doing great.  He's 19 and has a job!  The barn we'd called home since 2014 closed in October and we somehow managed to find a pretty great situation!  I put out an ISO ad for a new barn and got a PM from a gal who actually knew Kevin when he was younger. She offered us a place in her lesson program so my board is covered and I still get to ride whenever I want to.  I wasn't sure what to expect since he was moving from 24/7 grass, round bale, run-in, and a buddy horse to a stall, but so far he's doing shockingly well.  (Which I probably shouldn't say aloud but there it is.)  He's lost a good deal of weight, which was VERY needed.  While I've never had him diagnosed with insulin resistance, he was looking scary fat last summer and was having to live in a grazing muzzle. He needed to get off the grass and get more exercise.  He's now over 150lbs lighter, fitter, and riding great! He gets out of the stall for either a lesson, turnout, or both each day, and while it's much shorter turnout time than before, he's not been stiff, cranky, or anxious.  It's a little hard to watch the novices fumble around with him, but the trainers are keep a sharp eye and we all started somewhere! Thankfully Kevin has been a saint and is a barn favorite.  Of course, if things take a turn we will re-evaluate, but for now we both seem happy!  Plus I'm hoping the indoor-living will be kinder to his mane.  It's always looked so icky and I'd love to see it stay healthier.  

I'm even making plans to re-start our show career later in January.  Just some ranch classes at an open show. We took all of 2023 off, and only showed once in 2022, so now I need to see if show clothes still fit because it's not in the budget to get a new wardrobe! 

My little Etsy side-hustle has undergone some changes and I'm aiming for a few more.  My BF started working from home last spring and since my work room is now also his office, I needed to streamline that space and decided to close the decal portion of my business. I plan to digitize my images and sell them as svg files so other crafters can use them.  I'm still selling my bit-warmer patterns, and I have a few other sewing patterns I would love to digitize but haven't yet found the time. 

In May my BF and I got a Cavalier King Charles Spaniel puppy we named Eloise.  She's a ruby, so the same color as Kevin (this was not actually planned) and I've enjoyed color-coordinating them.  She just had her spay surgery this week so we are doing a lot of working-from-sofa. 

I found Huck!!!  I will often search is name on the internet and I recently found videos of him doing liberty with someone out east!  He looked good and quiet and It was a relief to see him thriving and making someone happy!

So I end this blog on a happy note.  I am grateful for what this blog brought me and taught me. Thank you for coming along for the ride.  Wishing you joy and happiness this holiday season and into the new year.

Peace.