8/31/10
What a beautiful morning it is here in Kentucky. We are in the Bittle's house having a cup of coffee with fresh whipped up cream on top. We just finished some egg whites mixed with tomato, spinach, and cheese. All of the doors, there are birds singing, and the breeze is summery and a little cool.
I can see down the hill by the barn where Judy has Sojourner out. She has him on a lead rope and is brushing his tail. She said she wanted to give him a betadine bath this morning and it looks as if she's already finished washing him before I've even finished my coffee!
Judy is as fit as a fiddle and as loving as a dove. Soj is going to be all nice and clean now, he's got a clean bill of health and the green light to keep on a movin, his hooves are rounded off and feeling good, he's let out plenty of good bucks while he's been resting here, he's back on his iron supplement, and he's even got some new dancin' shoes coming soon! We are going to try out the Easyboot Gloves. Some of you endurance riders may have heard of these shoes (they're all the rave right now!!)
I'll be sure to let you know what I think of these boots and of course I'll give you Soj's opinion, too. I don't think we'll have them for a couple of weeks because I have to measure his hooves after they've been trimmed. We rounded Soj's hooves off here, but he still needs a little trim and he won't have that for another 2 weeks or so.
We all feel so good. It's supposed to be a bit hot today but the air this morning would lead one to believe otherwise. Fall is definitely coming soon and so these hot days are much more bearable. We sure do love Kentucky.
I should go down and help Judy now! More soon!
Linny! What are you doing with these everyday blog posts?! Don't you understand that readers like Nancy and I get a little "dependent" and then when you take a few days off, we go into withdrawals, pace around nervously, and get snippy with our spouses? :)
ReplyDeleteTee! Hee! So glad that you're enjoying your visit. what's the purpose of a betadine bath? I'm not familiar with that.
It's so wonderful to hear about your beautiful days in Kentucky. We're having a little heat wave here in NH at the moment- high 90's and I keep wondering how in the world you were able to push on day after day through that horrible heat.
ReplyDeleteI am thrilled to hear Soj is doing so well, he looks incredible! I believe it was Wendy who commented on his transformation during this trip and I can't agree more. I have to admit I was a little worried in the beginning, he seemed thin, and my lousy ego(which I'm trying to rid myself of) wondered if you knew what you were doing. It's hard to believe everything you hear about on the internet and believe in the lofty aspirations of someone you've never met. But I was drawn to your spirit in your words and photos and felt a connection to you even then. Somehow I just had faith in you. You and Soj have surpassed anything I could imagine and become an inspiration to me. You remind me to have faith, love others, accept gifts, look around, listen, move on through hard spots, give freely, take one step at a time and never stop dreaming!! Thank You.
Ha Tom! Walter said "did you read Tom's post?" I said "Yes, I laughed."
ReplyDeleteJeni...thanks for this honest, beautiful post. I'm drawn right back to the spirit in your words...what a beautiful thing to say to me. Thank you for having faith.
I was told so many times that it wouldn't happen and that it certainly wouldn't happen on little Soj who wouldn't put on weight and was a big freaky deak over almost everything. And even if I did take a horse that was big and strong from the get go he wouldn't make it the entire way. People told me it wasn't possible on one horse. But everyone in my family, every close friend, said it would happen and my mom and Cait who knew Soj the way I knew him said he was, without question, the horse. And I never thought for a second that it wasn't possible. I always thought, "it's just walking and walking, what's the big deal?"
I think there is a lot you can make happen if you and the people whose opinions matter most to you believe you can do it. Everyone knows horses can sense fear and weakness and I believe they can feel the opposite just the same. If we're cool, he's cool. If we think he's going to build muscle and put on weight, he will. There is a lot to be said for belief, for faith...and I don't think it was all coming solely from me and Walter while we've been out here. I am sure, without a question in my mind, that whatever faith you felt for us came and has helped us to get where we are. So I say back to you...thank you.
And it's so strange that you write this comment here because these are exactly the thoughts I was having when I wrote my latest entry!
I'm glad you weren't offended by my admition of my initial doubt. Your response filled my heart (and my eyes with tears.)
ReplyDeleteIt is amazing how powerful positive thought can be, and how we can be so connected to others, even across great distances. I have been trying to stay open to this concept, and it's uncanny how many times those "strange" things happen. Like that person you haven't seen in so long who shows up or calls when you mention thier name. Or how just last week I was asking our Journal Opinion sales rep who does stories, because they should write one about you. I hadn't contacted him yet, but sure enough there you are on the back cover in this weeks edition!
I can't tell you how much it means to me to read your blogs and share in your journey. I feel like Sebastian in The Neverending Story- following along as the story unfolds, with my belief helping things. The anticipation of your arrival, and getting to meet and talk to you in person has me feeling like a kid waiting for Christmas!
Happy trails! Keep the good stuff coming to us addicts ! :)