special delivery
So Mom had hay delivered last weekend from some Standardbred guy that had an ad in the paper, sight unseen cause the brake lines broke on her car. A lot of it was moldy and bad. Does she send it back, ask for replacements or refunds like a normal sane person? No. She's like, "Oh, I can't do that". But she'll bitch to me about it every day of the week, like it's my fault, and then get pissed and freak out when I suggest calling the guy and asking for replacements.
So today they bought some more hay, sight unseen again (are they morons?!!). The hay truck was coming down the road, and Rachel, who is rather hard of hearing and has diminished eyesight anymore, still knew a hay truck when she saw one. She neighed in greeting so loud that the neighbors a half mile down the road probably came out of their house. They can hear Rachel's normal "quiet" chatter when we go to feed them, or she thinks we should be. She's the loudest horse I've ever known, and Mom said she'd never heard her be so loud in her life as she was when she saw that truck coming down the road. Rachel called out in joy three times, so loud that every animal on the farm was going nuts, the dog started barking and the cats were whirling around, and all the horses in the big pasture started running around. All the barn mares were clustered at the gate watching them come in the drive.
I remember when my sister took Rachel for an Equestrian Team show, Mom had suddenly decided to pay for lessons at the time, and the trainer was there. She was a tough old thing that talked proudly about getting into barfights with bikers and sailors and stuff. She was actually pretty cool. Anyway, I guess she was used to helpless clients, and she came over to unload the horse for us. I hadn't met her yet, and was like, "Well, I can...unload my own horse...really, I'm fine..."
Anyway, she went to open the trailer door, and I told her that I usually pop the latch and duck and hold my ears cause Miss Thang always screams, and she's extremely loud. The professional trainer did not believe me, or thought I was exaggerating. My horse was silent inside, not even shifting around restlessly like they do when they know we've arrived and they get to get out. I think Rachel took special pleasure in bellowing in that trainer's face. The trainer got kinda mad. "I told you." She said her ears were ringing, and bitched for a good ten minutes about it.
Anyway, the hay got put in the barn and Dad got really asthmatic, but the stuff is beautiful, just beautiful. Our hay was so bad this year from our weak fields, and they also got flooded out and that did them no favors. All the horses are starting to look thin now in the bleakest part of winter, so I'm hoping that they'll pick up with this superior hay. The hay was so good to them, they all refused their grain, in lieu of eating that hay. We can only give them a little bit at a time cause they have to get used to it. It's so much richer than what they are used to. Horses have very sensitive stomachs, and a stomachache can be fatal. "Colic" is the biggest killer of horses, more than anything else. Our vet always tells us to be careful even when switching between hay gathered from different fields at the same time.
The hay people, recommended by our farrier, he knows his stuff, will be coming with more next weekend, and Mom might even get a third load. I wonder if Rachel will greet them again? It is such a relief to know that we have hay in the barn and I don't have to worry about it anymore.
I wonder if that is some instinct. I always stock up my cupboards for winter. In spring I'm already starting to think about next winter, course I am thinking about all the critters we have getting through the harsh winter months as well. Late summer I start getting some extra canned goods and things that last long and putting them away for a rainy/snowy day. My sister's the same, she says she gets nervous if she doesn't have a supply of food built up. A lot of customers in the store can food, and since the economic nosedive it's been hard to keep canning supplies on the shelf. Anyone else feel squirrel tendencies to stockpile goods for winter?
Healthwise, I think I got worse again Friday. The redhead needed the morning off to do some interview for his journalism class, and I was kind and took his butt-crack of dawn shift. Even the customers were like, "What are you doing here so early?" I felt like my fever had come back again, and my lungs were filling up with gunk.
This older lady came up and said, "You don't look like you feel very well." I kept waiting for her to spaz out about me being sick, but she just looked at me kindly. I'd had my hand on my forehead at the time when she walked up, and she asked if I had a fever. I said I wasn't sure. She leaned over the counter and felt my forehead for me. Aww. She was just so kind and motherly to me, it really made me feel better. What a nice person.
Then there was this guy. Remember the older man that wanted me to go out drinking, and HotWheels piped up that he'd go and the man said, 'DO I look like a homosexual to you?" It was really funny. Anyway, he comes back, and I am just really uncomfortable with him hitting on me. He looked at my hand and said, "Well, I see you didn't get your big rock yet."
We talked a bit, and then as he was leaving, he calls out loudly to the whole store, "When I win the lottery, I'm getting a big diamond and I'll be back for you!" @'_'@ Ah geez. I would like a big diamond, just, not from him! Actually, I'd rather have a good truck, that'd be far more useful, not some wimpy thing but something that can pull a horse trailer and a hay wagon.
Anyway, HotWheels comes trotting back in. He's "special needs" so he's not very good with human interaction. So he pipes up, "That guy wants to buy you a big diamond. And have sex with you."
UGHHHHHHHHHHHHH. "I figured that." Course all my co-workers are roaring with laughter around me, and several of the women are pushing me to go out with him. He's oldddddddddddddd. And I don't even know his name. Part of me was incredulous, cause I was sick and looked horrible, and he's hitting on me? Is he blind?!
They're like, "What's the worst that could happen? You get a couple free drinks out of it?"
That's by far not the worst thing that could happen, you dumb broads. Rape, death, dismemberment, torture, rape, death.... That what I think of when a strange man shows "interest" in me.
I don't even know the dude's name. And I don't drink either. I have Crohn's for crying out loud!
Thank goodness I was out of there shortly after that. Island Woman keeps lying to me and pissing me off, so I was ready to strangle her, and she following me around trying to get me to go out with some old man. The redhead was late, but when I saw him coming, knowing he's also a Trekkie, I made a mock whistle and called out, "Captain on deck!"
He said, "What's wrong with you? Did you have like ten cups of coffee? You're so hyper!"
"I'm just manic. And going home. Bye!"
And then I went to Mac's and got iced coffee :P Which felt so so good on my so very sore throat. I don't like most coffee but I like that stuff. And then I went home, and after having a giant iced coffee I fell right asleep cause I'm weird like that. It was very warm and nice Thursday and Friday, but I was too sick to even walk around.
So today they bought some more hay, sight unseen again (are they morons?!!). The hay truck was coming down the road, and Rachel, who is rather hard of hearing and has diminished eyesight anymore, still knew a hay truck when she saw one. She neighed in greeting so loud that the neighbors a half mile down the road probably came out of their house. They can hear Rachel's normal "quiet" chatter when we go to feed them, or she thinks we should be. She's the loudest horse I've ever known, and Mom said she'd never heard her be so loud in her life as she was when she saw that truck coming down the road. Rachel called out in joy three times, so loud that every animal on the farm was going nuts, the dog started barking and the cats were whirling around, and all the horses in the big pasture started running around. All the barn mares were clustered at the gate watching them come in the drive.
I remember when my sister took Rachel for an Equestrian Team show, Mom had suddenly decided to pay for lessons at the time, and the trainer was there. She was a tough old thing that talked proudly about getting into barfights with bikers and sailors and stuff. She was actually pretty cool. Anyway, I guess she was used to helpless clients, and she came over to unload the horse for us. I hadn't met her yet, and was like, "Well, I can...unload my own horse...really, I'm fine..."
Anyway, she went to open the trailer door, and I told her that I usually pop the latch and duck and hold my ears cause Miss Thang always screams, and she's extremely loud. The professional trainer did not believe me, or thought I was exaggerating. My horse was silent inside, not even shifting around restlessly like they do when they know we've arrived and they get to get out. I think Rachel took special pleasure in bellowing in that trainer's face. The trainer got kinda mad. "I told you." She said her ears were ringing, and bitched for a good ten minutes about it.
Anyway, the hay got put in the barn and Dad got really asthmatic, but the stuff is beautiful, just beautiful. Our hay was so bad this year from our weak fields, and they also got flooded out and that did them no favors. All the horses are starting to look thin now in the bleakest part of winter, so I'm hoping that they'll pick up with this superior hay. The hay was so good to them, they all refused their grain, in lieu of eating that hay. We can only give them a little bit at a time cause they have to get used to it. It's so much richer than what they are used to. Horses have very sensitive stomachs, and a stomachache can be fatal. "Colic" is the biggest killer of horses, more than anything else. Our vet always tells us to be careful even when switching between hay gathered from different fields at the same time.
The hay people, recommended by our farrier, he knows his stuff, will be coming with more next weekend, and Mom might even get a third load. I wonder if Rachel will greet them again? It is such a relief to know that we have hay in the barn and I don't have to worry about it anymore.
I wonder if that is some instinct. I always stock up my cupboards for winter. In spring I'm already starting to think about next winter, course I am thinking about all the critters we have getting through the harsh winter months as well. Late summer I start getting some extra canned goods and things that last long and putting them away for a rainy/snowy day. My sister's the same, she says she gets nervous if she doesn't have a supply of food built up. A lot of customers in the store can food, and since the economic nosedive it's been hard to keep canning supplies on the shelf. Anyone else feel squirrel tendencies to stockpile goods for winter?
Healthwise, I think I got worse again Friday. The redhead needed the morning off to do some interview for his journalism class, and I was kind and took his butt-crack of dawn shift. Even the customers were like, "What are you doing here so early?" I felt like my fever had come back again, and my lungs were filling up with gunk.
This older lady came up and said, "You don't look like you feel very well." I kept waiting for her to spaz out about me being sick, but she just looked at me kindly. I'd had my hand on my forehead at the time when she walked up, and she asked if I had a fever. I said I wasn't sure. She leaned over the counter and felt my forehead for me. Aww. She was just so kind and motherly to me, it really made me feel better. What a nice person.
Then there was this guy. Remember the older man that wanted me to go out drinking, and HotWheels piped up that he'd go and the man said, 'DO I look like a homosexual to you?" It was really funny. Anyway, he comes back, and I am just really uncomfortable with him hitting on me. He looked at my hand and said, "Well, I see you didn't get your big rock yet."
We talked a bit, and then as he was leaving, he calls out loudly to the whole store, "When I win the lottery, I'm getting a big diamond and I'll be back for you!" @'_'@ Ah geez. I would like a big diamond, just, not from him! Actually, I'd rather have a good truck, that'd be far more useful, not some wimpy thing but something that can pull a horse trailer and a hay wagon.
Anyway, HotWheels comes trotting back in. He's "special needs" so he's not very good with human interaction. So he pipes up, "That guy wants to buy you a big diamond. And have sex with you."
UGHHHHHHHHHHHHH. "I figured that." Course all my co-workers are roaring with laughter around me, and several of the women are pushing me to go out with him. He's oldddddddddddddd. And I don't even know his name. Part of me was incredulous, cause I was sick and looked horrible, and he's hitting on me? Is he blind?!
They're like, "What's the worst that could happen? You get a couple free drinks out of it?"
That's by far not the worst thing that could happen, you dumb broads. Rape, death, dismemberment, torture, rape, death.... That what I think of when a strange man shows "interest" in me.
I don't even know the dude's name. And I don't drink either. I have Crohn's for crying out loud!
Thank goodness I was out of there shortly after that. Island Woman keeps lying to me and pissing me off, so I was ready to strangle her, and she following me around trying to get me to go out with some old man. The redhead was late, but when I saw him coming, knowing he's also a Trekkie, I made a mock whistle and called out, "Captain on deck!"
He said, "What's wrong with you? Did you have like ten cups of coffee? You're so hyper!"
"I'm just manic. And going home. Bye!"
And then I went to Mac's and got iced coffee :P Which felt so so good on my so very sore throat. I don't like most coffee but I like that stuff. And then I went home, and after having a giant iced coffee I fell right asleep cause I'm weird like that. It was very warm and nice Thursday and Friday, but I was too sick to even walk around.