So I sort of just quit going out hunting because I got really ill and slept 12 hours a night plus napped most of the day, all through last week. It rather sucked, really. Apparently I have vertigo in addition to needing major reconstructive knee surgery. Having an unstable knee AND getting dizzy with no warning ... WOO HOO!! Looking forward to getting this over with. Surgery is Wednesday morning, so I'll be offline a bit, but as soon as I can hobble to my Mac, you know I'll be back.

Day 7

Another dreary wet day indoors. Had to have hubby drive me to the hospital for blood work, so no morning hunt. Planning to hunt all day tomorrow; we should get fresh snow tonight which should make for a good morning hunt. Will probably be too cold for my fingers to TXT a blog from the field, though.

Day 6

Stayed in today, as I had a midday appointment. Got home from store and to my surprise, met my babygirl at the door, all in camo and orange. Hubby was on his way to take her with him for the evening hunt. Made me so happy. Wish I could be a fly on the wall of that hunting blind! ;)

Day 5 txt msg

Day 5. Babygirl w me. So excited! Hope we see deers! She was up @ 3:30 AM & in camo & orange :)

Day 4 txt msg

Day 4. Cold, dry & still. New spot. Froze this AM, saw lots o birds. Nbrs BLAM BLAM all day. We no see deers.

Day 3 txt msg

Day 3. Super quiet. Hrs of no deer. Few shots 4 1st Sat. See tails, way out. Even sqrrls quiet. Hawk swoops ovr fld. NO DEERS.

Deer-thirty. Time 2 C deer. In tree. Hard 2 climb. Hub here. Coldr. Specs fog up. Woodpkr. No deers.

Pink sqrrl sighting! Too far 4 pic. Send me DEERS!

Day 2. Quiet, no deers. Light breeze. Too still. Hubby shot nice 8pt he says. In blind I was in last nite. Grr.

No deers. No sqrrl. Few turkey.

Later, back at camp

Hunted in the afternoon as well, here's the summary:

I've been plagued with really crappy hunt season weather. Today the wind was whipping, wet snow flying horizontal, nothing moving during daylight hours. Even with all of the people in the woods surrounding our property and all of the shots we heard around us, deer weren't moving on our land.

Saw a buck for about 3 seconds ... raised his head out of the tall grass long enough to see he had a smallish rack, maybe a small 6 pt. and then he vanished. Nothing else moved during shooting light.

Now that I've discovered how to TXT MSG directly to my blog, I'll keep everyone updated that way. :}

Opening day of deer season fun ...

or, Confessions of a TXT MSG Virgin.

I've never used text messaging on my phone before. Just never saw the need.

Sitting for hours in a blind, waiting to see deer, and needing to be exceedingly quiet, the value of the TXT MSG became clear: this is how I can lovingly annoy my husband without blowing our cover.

7:12 am -- Hear things. no see. fluffy wants out. see doe. legal light? no buck. coons fighting. hear shot. turn to back tips seat. no deers. love yours.

8:06 am -- U C him? no need 2 ansr. hear crane. hear turkey. deer went twrd U far E of me. I C U P! lots of shots. hear shots. donger need food. see cat. no rum. hand cold.

9:53 am -- See sqrrl. See, pheasant? Some bird. More sqrrl. Pelting tent! OMG Pink sqrrl!! Cant photo. See cranes fly low. Hear, eagle? No deers.

11:45 am -- Turkeys! 7 or more. Cool! Need Klnx. Later... OMG must be 20 turkeys just E of me. Like ghosts. Trying 2 get pic of pink sqrrl & they appeared.

At least he understands me. :}

things are be gooder now

Life has certainly dealt quite the series of blows to my immediate family here in the past two months.

Most things, like the totalled vehicle, can be easily overcome. I'll be getting my new Saturn Aura in a few days. I had my Vue for almost exactly four years... a little less when you consider the many times it has been in for repair. Hoping that the Aura won't be as invisible to deer.

Other things will take more patience and time to work through, but we have a strong family that we are certain can pull through anything. Although our family unit is fairly new, as my husband and I race toward our two year anniversary, and the kids are likewise racing toward their teen years, we're close and we're brave, and we're up for anything that's coming at us.

It's time for some good stuff.

The skinny on skinny.

This is a skinny horse.



He is trim, but healthy and well fed. He filled out nicely on pasture, and stopped dropping grain after his teeth were floated. This is a summer photo, after taking him out of a dry lot where he shared a free-choice round bale of hay with another horse. He had to be gradually introduced to green grass, to prevent colic or founder. He had a nice protective fat layer by winter. His hooves were long, but he was sound.


This is a skinny horse.



This is a Saddlebred mare. I do not know how she came to find herself at Horses Haven rescue, but I am sure glad she did. Much more emaciated than this, and the only kind thing to do is euthanasia. Desperately malnourished horses do not always respond to attempts to "fatten them up" as their organs have already started to lose function. I think this horse wants to live.


This is a skinny horse.



While you can clearly see her ribs, her overall body condition does not look critical. She needs good food and good weather. She looks very typical of an aged horse having wintered outdoors during a harsh Michigan winter. There is a shine on her coat and a gleam in her eye. She probably looks like a different horse in the summer and fall.


This is a skinny horse.



For a young horse to be in this kind of shape in September, it must have not had access to the summer's green grass. The hooves have been neglected, and the bloated belly is a tell-tale sign of intestinal parasites; with the ribs showing, I'd guess an overload of them. The legs should straighten out some with corrective trimming. I would have to assume he had limited turn-out as hooves should wear down differently with exercise. His overall depressed look and dull coat is another sign of poor health. As he is young, he has the potential to fully recover with proper care.



Well, they're ALL skinny... so which one(s) should be taken away from their owners?



Skinny is subjective.

Some breeds are naturally more skinny than others, same with bloodlines within a breed, or types within a discipline.

Athletic horses tend to be more skinny, as do hot ones.

Acceptably skinny looks different with an older horse than with a younger, growing one.

Emaciated is never okay, for any breed.