Cute new Buttercup happenings...

I hate having to go to work during the days, simply because I know I'm missing so much cuteness!  That lil bugger can't go two minutes without doing something extremely adorable!  Such as.....peeing and then trying to cover it up like a cat would.  (she's been watching the cats too much)  Getting an itchy butt and rubbing it all over Mom.  Yesterday as I was driving towards my place, I could see her running at a full gallop in circles in the pasture, just as fast as her little legs would take her!  Of course once I got home and got out the camera, she stopped.  She is getting much more brave.  She will even hang out in the barn, out of site of Mom.  She's made friends with the mini horses now, which is great, though I'm sure Dinker will be a bad influence on her. 

I've been working with her to get her to trust me.  Lots of patience and kissing noises have gotten her to the point where she will now come up to me without me asking.  This is great.  I can pick up all four feet.  I can touch her pretty much anywhere without her getting scared.  I need to halter train her very soon, so I've been taking the halter with me every time I go out to feed her.  No need to put it on her just yet, but I've been keeping it in my hand as I rub her down, getting her used to the sensation.  Hopefully one of these days, she'll just let me slip it right over her nose without a fuss. 

I can't wait to hang out with her for the next 25 or 30 years.  I'm going to make her the best horse she can possibly be. 

I am kind of a dork

To the outside world, I may seem a little over zealous in my love for my critters.  But that's OK.  I never claimed or wanted to be normal.  So sometimes I write letters to my animals.  I keep them in a book and then one day when they are old, I can look back and read them and remember all the little things that time normally erases from your brain.  This is the letter I wrote to lil Buttercup, a couple days after she was born. 

Dear Buttercup,

You only came into my life two days ago and I can't believe how much I love you already. You were, as I was, a surprise. Not a mistake. Not an accident. A surprise. One I never expected. The first time I laid eyes on you I had to stand there for a couple minutes to wrap my mind around what I was seeing. I remember thinking, this must be a dream. I am so glad it wasn't.

You are so fun to watch. I love seeing you experience things for the first time. The first time you felt the wind, you looked around to see what the heck was making your hair move like that. The first time you stuck your nose in a water bucket, you were scared by the sensation. Every single thing you see and hear is a first.

Your mom loves you so much, and I can tell you love her. She will take great care of you. You will be likely be the first foal that won't be taken away from her after weaning. She will have you at her side till her last day on earth.

Your hair is so so soft. Like nothing I've ever felt. Like velvet, but better. Like shag velvet. You have the sweetest little muzzle. It reminds me of both Billie's and Cutter's. You will be sorrel it appears and I am thrilled with that. I hope you look like Cutter when you are older.

I can't believe how long your legs are! You are already taller than Dinker and Bucky. I'm giving you a week till you'll be too tall to fit under your moms' belly.

You have given me so much joy in the two days that I have known you. Your mom is so happy, the happiest I've seen her since she came to the farm. She is so content to have you to care for. I am happy too. Very happy that you've come into our lives. You will make an excellent addition to the Copperbottom Ranch.

I look forward to watching you grow up, teaching you things, and watching you become a beautiful strong, smart, and loving horse. Someday we will travel the trails together, you and I. But for now, you just stick with Mom. Just learn and grow and be a filly. And don't be in a hurry to grow up now.

I apologize.  It has been far too long since I've checked in.  Perhaps you are all worried about me, perhaps not.  Well, first off I have been doing GREAT.  Seriously really, really, great!  Where to start?  Oh who am I kidding?  I know exactly where to start!  My life has been forever changed with the events of the last month.  In one word, BUTTERCUP.  Who or what is Buttercup you ask?  Well she is the newest addition to the farm, my beautiful little baby filly.  What's that?  You didn't know I was having a baby horse?  Well, neither did I!  Billie had been acting funny for a couple days.  I was worried about her, got up to check on her one morning and there, laying on the ground beside her in the barn, was a little bundle of joy that was VERY unexpected.  My jaw dropped as my mind processed what I was seeing.  Then the little bundle of joy stood up on her spindly, brand new legs, and it all became very real.  OH MY GOD BILLIE HAD A BABY!!!!!!

I have had Billie since last fall, in my mind it was nearing a year that she had been with me.  When I got her, I took her to the vet and had her pregnancy checked, since I was unsure of her history.  They has assured me she was not preggers, so in my mind it wasn't even a possibility, since she hasn't been around a stud since I've had her.  A horse has an 11 month gestation period.  "How is this possible?" I kept asking myself.  Well, after looking up the paperwork, I had brought her home on October 3rd, 2011.  She foaled on September 3, 2012.  Yep, 11 months to the day.  She must have been bred a matter of days before I picked her up.  I assume this is why the vet didn't catch the pregnancy.  It must have been too early in the process to feel the baby.  The horse rescue I got her from claims it  is impossible that she was bred there, but I wonder if their fences and gates are as secure as they think they were.  They do have a stud on the place (which you shouldn't if you are a rescue) and I am sure that is lil Buttercup's dad.  I know Billie hasn't been into any funny business since I've had her, so I see no other possibility.  All this said, I couldn't be more pleased.  I am like a glowing new mother. 

The only one who is happier than me is Billie.  I have never seen a horse so happy and at peace as she is with her foal.  Its touching, really.  She is a wonderful mother, but nice enough to let me in anytime I want to play with her new baby.  It's been a real game changer at the farm.  I've never had a foal before, so it's a whole new world to me.  Buttercup is so lovely.  Just a doll.  Just...perfect!  She is three weeks old now and I can't believe how much she's grown already.  Her muscles are developing and she runs and jumps and tries to eat hay like her mom does, even though she's got no teeth.  I could go on and on.  In fact, I think I will.  Her legs are so long that her mouth can't reach the ground without bending her knees, which is about the cutest thing I've ever seen.  She's got the color of my old mare, Cutter, who was closely related to Billie.  The same markings on her muzzle as both Billie and Cutter.  Billie reminds me so much of my dear Cutter, that I can't imagine Buttercup won't take after them both.  Nothing would make me happier than seeing signs of my old mare in my new baby as she grows.

I didn't know what to name her.  I wanted to name her after Billie, but didn't want to leave Cutter out of it either.  So a friend suggested Butter.  The more I said it, the more I liked it.  When thinking of all the nicknames I could call her (Butter ball, my Butter baby, Butthead) I couldn't pass up Buttercup.  It just fit. 

Also, Billie wanted me to pass along a message to everyone for all the fat jokes at her expense.  "Suck it!  I just lost about 200 lbs in one day!" She says.  

So yeah, that's what's new with me...pretty great, huh?  And the best part?   I have even more good and exciting news as well, but I think that's enough for today.  Upcoming topics include:  I catered a wedding, I have a BOYFRIEND who is awesome, Mitt Romney should just shut up, and a great spinach dip recipe.  Later, y'all!

Sweet Billie

The nice thing about having an obese horse is that when you ride them bareback, its such a nice, wide, cushy seat.  :)  Plus I look 10 lbs thinner when I stand by her

Just another weekend in the life of Aud

New things going on....Shooter and I attended the Puppies in the Pool fundraiser to benefit the local animal shelter last night.  It is his favorite day of the year and he played and swam and fetched for a solid two hours.  He had just enough energy to throw an absolute fit when I had to make him leave.  He's a very well behaved dog and I have never seen him throw such a tantrum.  Like a tired kid, he passed out halfway home and slept like a rock all evening.  It was a great time.

This weekend I will be attending a bean bag tourney...winning team wins a hundred bucks.  I won the bean bag championship at the Winter Games last year, so I may have had a few beers and talked up my skills a bit more than I should have.  Truth be told, I'm generally not good at things like this.  I'm afraid it will be like my pool shooting skills.  I'll have one perfect game out of 20, the other 19 games are like watching a drunken toddler try to climb a ladder.  Oh well, we'll have fun even if we lose.

Then I will visit my good friend Arin and we will all hang out at the campground for a while.  The weather sounds like it will be perfect.  I also will be hanging out with a very very nice guy I recently met.  In the spirit of not jinxing things, that is all I'll say about that for now. 

My apple tree limbs are hanging nearly to the ground.  It is a bumper year for my apple crop, so I'll be making a ton of apple crisp.  I like to make a bunch and hand them out to people who help me out at the farm during the year.  Do you wish I was making you apple crisp?  Well, let me know, I always need favors :)

I have finally secured enough hay to get the horses through winter.  It was hard to find with the weather being so dry.  Luckily, my fantastic hay guy came through for me in a pinch and even stacked it in the corn crib for me.  He'll be getting some apple crisp for sure. 

That's all I've got for now...Have a great weekend!

Sorry for my absence

I have been busy lately.  Not "bad busy" where there just aren't enough hours in the day.  More like "good busy" where you are just having fun enjoying life.  Things are looking up for ol' Aud.  Perhaps I will expand on that statement in a few days.....

There is something I love about this picture and I can't quite put my finger on it.  It has a kind of timeless quality to it.  I like how it appears I only have a stump for an arm.  Very Venus de Milo. 

I make fun of my Dad a lot, but he really truly is a great guy and a great dad.  He gave my dog a haircut last night and was nice enough to saddle up his mare, Molly for me to ride.  At first I resisted, since it was sunny and I was without sunscreen.  Then I decided we'd just get to the shady spots as fast as we could.  Molly is a great horse.  Though it kills me to admit it, she is a better horse than any I have.  Just a nice steady no frills horse that goes where you ask and does as she's told.  I so wish I had a horse that was this well broke. 

We rode down to what is locally known as Dead Man's.  A creek, some trails, nice trees.  Not a large area at all, but the trails criss and cross and go up and down and it is just lovely.  Molly and I took a couple laps, went out for a trot, went and made a couple more laps, and then cantered back to the farm.  I haven't cantered in years.  I can't remember the last time I did it.  I am normally happiest at a walk or trot.  I had forgotten the smoothness, the nice rhythm of a canter.  It felt great.  It really is the small joys of life that make it worth it.  Now if I can just figure out a way to talk him out of that horse....