| |
Thursday, March 27, 2008
12:02:38 AM PDT
Feeling Loopy
Hearing The Tonight Show
And they're at the homestretch...
|
First, I want to send a warm thank you to Sam (gaboatman) for his caring email during my recovery from surgery earlier this month. And for reminding me that I do have a place to turn. Thank you Sam for your support and friendship, and to those of you who sent wishes for my speedy recovery.
My shoulder surgery was on Monday, March 3 and everything went as planned. I'll spare you all the boring details but do want you to know I was pretty out of it that first week. I must admit I really enjoyed the one week off from work and it was made even better when Sam (my husband...not gaboatman) stayed home to take care of me the first two days. The only down side was I got a bit spoiled being waited on but I really enjoyed it. A lot. Maybe too much. ;)
I'm on the mend now, free of that restrictive arm sling (ugh!) and making progress in physical therapy three times a week...which unfortunately has created a problem neither I nor my physical therapist could have seen coming. All this intense work brought on a painful case of tennis elbow. And that's the last thing my shoulder needs right now. So it's lots of ice packs and anti-inflammatories for me until we get on top of this new, annoying development. Am I frustrated...just a weee bit.
On the bright side, I have horsey news. :) On a whim last Friday I contacted one of the local boarding facilities to see what is currently available; turns out they had one of the best stalls (with a large run) available if I wanted it. The icing on the cake is the fact that last January when I inquired about these stalls I was told none were available and there was a three year waiting list to get one. Soooo what happened? You know, I didn't ask. I just paid the lady for March and April and called it mine. Yee-haw!!!
And that brings me to another new turn in my horse world. Turns out Norma may, or may not be coming home with me...time will tell. She has quite the motor in her, too much for my current riding ability and is basically more horse than I can handle. Ray is working everyday to soften her and get her to relax and he says she is responding, but there is still some concern. So in light of all this, I've been scouting Morgan horse ads in search of another horse. I have found three others, two mares and a gelding, but none are located here in town. This weekend the plan is to visit the closest one. I haven't totally given up on Norma, and just two weeks ago I needed a horsey fix so I took up my grooming supplies and paid her a visit. Ray was gone so it was just me and Norma, spending time together and getting used to each other, just in case.
Norma and me.
Either way, I'm ready. I've got all my tack and tools...now I just need the horse. Be it Norma or another, I am sooooo ready for this.
Oh yeah, and I need a horse trailer. A two horse slant load bumper pull with front dressing room. Gotta have one of those too.
Someone recently told me the horse was the least expensive part and I was a bit skeptical. I'm not anymore.
The search continues.
"Riding a horse is not a gentle hobby, to be picked up and laid down like a game of solitaire. It is a grand passion. It seizes a person whole and, once it has done so, he will have to accept that his life will be radically changed". -Ralph Waldo Emerson
20561 | | | | |
Written by delela1
Permalink
| Blog about this entry
|  Add to del.icio.us |  digg this
This entry has comments: Add your own
Wednesday, February 20, 2008
10:40:56 PM PST
Feeling Quiet
Hearing Heroes Are Hard To Find - Fleetwood Mac
Spur of the moment
|
|
I visited with my doctor last week and he immediately referred me to the orthopaedic surgeon; business must be slow at the surgeon's office because I got my consult within two days. Saw my GP on Wednesday and had an appointment with the surgeon Friday morning. That was remarkably fast! Last time I had to wait about three weeks for my first consult, back in 2003. No, this isn't the first time I've had trouble with my shoulder, the last two times it was the right shoulder. In 2003 I went in for a frozen shoulder (fixed by physical therapy) and in 2001 my deltoid caused me some grief (also fixed by physical therapy). So, they know me pretty well at the physical therapist office. Okay, I'm rambling.
Back to the present. There are three issues with my left shoulder that need fixed. First, the shoulder is frozen...duh, second I've got some bone spurs that need removed, and third, the end of my shoulder blade (acromion) is hooked (where straight is the norm) and needs to be reshaped. The surgeon wants to get me in ASAP but first my health insurance provider has to approve the surgery, which they did today. Tomorrow I'll know my surgery date. Doc says I'll be in a sling for about two weeks and in physical therapy for about six weeks. And then I'm done. I asked if the bone spurs would come back, and he said no...not on the left side. But, maybe on the right. Then again, it may never flare up. That's what I'm hoping for.
The good news is that by mid-April I'll be healed up enough to ride again...just in time for my birthday. I wonder if Sam knows what he's getting me for my birthday. :)
Monday I had the opportunity to go to Walla Walla to look at horse trailers. My friends who own the morgan farm wanted to purchase a 4 horse trailer and they were going with Ray, the gentleman from whom I'm buying my horse. I didn't find a trailer, but my friends did.
Sooo, about this horse of mine. She comes from excellent Morgan bloodlines and Ray's had her since she was foaled. Her name is Ida-Ho Norma...maybe not the prettiest name, kinda plain...but what she lacks in a name she makes up for with looks. I have pics her grand sire, Mortana Pat (also owned by Ray) and her great grand sire UVM Promise. Norma is her registered name, but horses often have another name, a stable name. I haven't come up with that...yet.
Mortana Pat with Ray up (1987)
UVM Promise (1977)
And yes, she's just as beautiful as they are. You'll see. :) Her sire is Desiderata Alderon (Desiderata is one of my fav poems) and her dam is Ida-Ho Mary Lue (who just happens to be a full sister to Mirzay).
For those of you wondering what happened to my tag offers, I've put them on hold. After having problems with PSP, I uninstalled the program, but now I'm having trouble reinstalling it. So, I took this as a message to step back, slow down and take a break for a bit. Thing is, I'm coming out of a really bad state. In short, for the past five years I was dancing on the edge of work place burn out...and depression. Last year, last summer, circumstances put me over that edge and I rapidly found myself overwhelmed...sometimes with even the simpliest task, like watering my plants, or writing in this journal. And even flexing my creative arm became painful...just another demand.
When I spoke to my doc about this, I summarized it simply when I told him, "I feel like I've lost my joy."
My work requires a high sensitivity to details, is hyper stressful and recently I've learned professionals within the economic development field are prone to burn out, generally within three years. I've been in economic development for almost twelve years. My work place is unprepared to help me through this, but my boss is trying to understand. Problem is there are a lot of demands on her as well and several of us can see her heading toward burn out too; she's been with the organization for six years but only the director for less than two. I've learned there is a down side to being passionate about your work. This is especially true when sacrifices are made for the common good, and little is given or acknowledged in return. At the request of my boss I took a couple of weeks off in October, my first two whole weeks in over nine years. I've learned a week vacation here and there every few months won't accomplish the balance I need to decompress from the demands of work. I've learned a lot about limitations and boundaries, and maybe it's time to change employers. So, I'm keeping my options open and my ear to the ground for a new path to take.
And, I think I'm going to give Norma a nice simple stable name. I'm thinking...Joy.
"My treasures do not clink together or glitter, they gleam in the sun and neigh in the night."
<'\__~
//\\ 20379 | |
Written by delela1
Permalink
| Blog about this entry
| Add to del.icio.us | digg this
This entry has comments: Add your own
Tuesday, February 5, 2008
11:38:34 PM PST
Over my shoulder
Hello my friends,
I know...it's been a very long time since my last entry...over a month. Eeee gads, how did that happen? Well, there is a complicated reason, which I'll get to later, in another entry, and there is an easy reason. I'll tackle the easy one now.
One word. Horses. I feel like a little girl again and I've renewed my love...ummm, okay, obsession...with horses. I haven't felt this giddy in years, and it feels so very good. I feel alive again! This obsession of mine must not be too excessive, because Sam isn't sick of seeing and hearing horses...yet. :) Oddly enough he's even getting into it. A few weeks ago he came home and immediately told me about a two horse trailer he'd seen for sale. This is fantastic, and so not like it was when I was a horse crazy child; I drove my family, especially my older sister Lyn, absolutely crazy. Seriously, I did. And I don't think they ever got over it, tee hee. I know I didn't...but the dream of owning a horse just wasn't practical and so I tucked that dream away...deep into the recesses of my soul and left it in a restful slumber until such time in the future when circumstances were more favorable.
Finally, that time is here.
And since I've decided to awaken my long slumbering childhood dream, I've realized I am starting from square one and there is much work to do. The horse, of course (which I've found, btw), a trailer to tow the horse (for trail rides at the cabin, and maybe more), saddles, bridles, hay (currently $150/ton thanks to the hay shortage...ouch), a place to store all the hay, hoof care, stabling...oye! At least we already have a heavy duty pick-up to pull the horse trailer. I'm sooooo excited!!!!! At night I find myself dreaming of hoof falls and four beat gaits, swishing tails and kind eyes. So, that's where I disappeared to this past month..I've been researching everything horse related.
The horse I found is a 16 year dark bay Morgan mare and she is gorgeous. I have a photo of her with her current owner but the sale won't happen until later this spring for two reasons. First, my left should is messed up and I must get it fixed before I do anymore riding, and second the mare hasn't been rode much lately and the owner/trainer wants to spend time working with her before handing her over to me. I've been undergoing physical therapy for my left shoulder since before Thanksgiving; it's really causing me immense distress. It started as a little annoying pain in early August and escalated into an inflamed rotator cuff. There's talk of either surgery which I'd rather avoid, or manipulating the shoulder under a local anethesia in order to tear through the scar tissue that is restricting my range of motion. Progress with physical therapy has plateaued and the pain is getting worse each week...sometimes it takes forever to get dressed in the morning. I'll know more in the next few weeks what will happen after I see my doctor next week and then get my first consult with the ortho surgeon. And so, I wait...
In the mean time, I HAVE to share this video I found. What you are about to see is a young woman named Stacy Westfall doing bridleless reining. She is fantastic, amazing and such an inspiration to me. The flying lead changes are smooth, flawless, and send the crowd into a awestruck frenzy. WOW!
20290
Written by delela1
Permalink
| Blog about this entry
| Add to del.icio.us | digg this
This entry has comments: Add your own
Monday, December 31, 2007
1:39:29 PM PST
New Year wishes for J-Land...and beyond
Have fun...be safe!!!
Dona
Written by delela1
Permalink
| Blog about this entry
| Add to del.icio.us | digg this
This entry has comments: Add your own
Saturday, December 29, 2007
7:29:29 AM PST
A wee milestone
Oh, my counter is about to hit 20,000. Hmmm...who will it be???? I wonder????
19991
Written by delela1
Permalink
| Blog about this entry
| Add to del.icio.us | digg this
This entry has comments: Add your own
Monday, December 24, 2007
9:27:11 AM PST
Merry Christmas!!!
Just have time for a quick entry. I'm at work for half a day and have sooooo much to do before tonight. We are hosting our annual Christmas Eve party for Sam's family, I've got several dishes to prepare (almond pretzels, garlic and onion foccoica bread, mini macs and a couple of dips for chips) and I need to finish Jordynn's Christmas stocking (it's only about 60% finished). Wish I had time to visit each and everyone of you today.
To all my friends and angels in J-Land I wish you all a very Merry Christmas!
19948
Written by delela1
Permalink
| Blog about this entry
| Add to del.icio.us | digg this
This entry has comments: Add your own
Thursday, December 20, 2007
12:52:19 PM PST
Feeling Chillin'
Hearing Christmas Album - Celtic Women
Brrrrr :)
Tag offer #24 - Brrrr
It's the most wonderful time of the year...and the craziest! I love this season, but it certainly takes it toll on me. Having the tree farm is a fun opportunity, but running it puts me behind the 8 ball once Thanksgiving comes and goes. I just finished getting my Christmas cards out yesterday (gonna have to start making them in the summer!). It wouldn't really matter were it not for some friends I have in England; once again their card will arrive late this year. Oh bother.
With all the sights and sounds I find inspiration in the hussle and bussle outside my home, but once I get there my muse disappears into the ethers leaving me feeling un-inspired and much too tired to create to my hearts content. Hence the lack of tag offers this past two weeks. In my mind I've created a dozen or more siggy tags throughout the day, but finding time to bring those visions from the ether to digital reality is a no-go...for now. Not to fear, a cute little number has found it's way to this page and hopefully into your hearts as well.
Da rules...ya know I gotta do it!
Place a request in a comment below with the name you'd like on the tag
Name change only
Offer open until I close it
Thanks for looking!
 Dona
19884
Tags: Tag offer, who wants one, WWO, PSP, Paint Shop Pro, winter, snow, snowmen, fun
Written by delela1
Permalink
| Blog about this entry
| Add to del.icio.us | digg this
This entry has comments: Add your own
Saturday, December 1, 2007
5:07:37 PM PST
Hearing Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets
Baby it's cold outside
Tag offer #23 - Snow window (below)
Brrrr...it's getting cold!!! It snowed all day today and this put many people into the spirit of Christmas tree shopping. And so the weather brings me to the perfect tag to put on offer on this first day of December. :) No doubt by now you know the rules, but just in case you don't:
Name requests can be placed in a comment below
Name change only
Offer expires Friday, December 7 at 9 p.m.
Business was booming at the tree farm today. Thought I could get some of my Christmas cards made in between customers but we had so many I only finished one card. Took my Jeep down for a new set of tires first thing this morning. After six years and 30,000 miles the factory installed tires were worn and ready to be replaced.
Written by delela1
Permalink
| Blog about this entry
| Add to del.icio.us | digg this
This entry has comments: Add your own
Wednesday, November 21, 2007
7:02:40 AM PST
It's that time of year...
Tag Offer #22 - Gingerbread dreams
Time for another offer because it's getting close to that time of year. :) Have lots of Christmas themed tags floating around and I've seen dozens of great tutorials every day...oh, sometimes I do wish I had more time for J-Land and making tags. Anywho, the rules are simple...
Name change only
Offer open until I close it.
Thanks for looking!!!
And...from my heart to yours, here's wishing my American friends a warm and wonderful Thanksgiving. Take time to reflect on what you are thankful for...
"My friends are my estate." ~Emily Dickinson
19657
Written by delela1
Permalink
| Blog about this entry
| Add to del.icio.us | digg this
This entry has comments: Add your own
Monday, November 12, 2007
10:19:03 PM PST
For all seasons...
Tag Offer #21 - Girl for all seasons
Inspired by recent events and experiences of my own life I've created this tag featuring artist Suzanne Woolcott. It's a little fun mixed with a serious message. If you like this tag and would like one with your name just follow these rules:
Offer expires Thursday, November 16 @ 9 p.m.
Name change only
Place your request in a comment below.
Says it all, doesn't it? How many times have we found ourselves trying to be everything to everyone? Our options today are endlessly varied and it seems when the door to a new opportunity presents itself to us we take it because we know we want it. Without hesitation we eagerly step over the threshold, ready and willing we rush headlong into another experience because we believe deep in a place we keep to ourselves that it's the right thing to do, in the name of personal or professional growth. But sometimes, we get so involved in the opportunities laid before us that we forget one thing...ourselves. We are so busy being so much to so many we can easily lose touch with our center...that which makes us happy. We can expand and stay centered, we can grow and stay true. Growth can be painful, we know. But in the end it will hold its own rewards.
Written by delela1
Permalink
| Blog about this entry
| Add to del.icio.us | digg this
This entry has comments: Add your own
|
|
