Zhak is lame AGAIN. I guess since we've had the drought, then TS Fay brought rain and the grass starting growing again, he has laminitis again. I've checked him out--no heat, minor pulse in the foot, no obvious bruising, a very minor amount of white line separation-which he had before, and his toes are needing rasping again. Certainly not enough to make him standing lame. But there he is. Well, at least it is one foot and not two-which it has been in the past--and he is walking on it-some-after I booted it.
I had such hopes for the little guy--I was going to train him for CTR and harness. But my work and my mom's illness got in the way and now here he is 12 years old and pretty darn near useless. I'm miserable about it. I feel like I should be shot for allowing this to happen. Here's a cute little horse with tons of potential that has gone to pot because I allowed it to happen.
Well, self-flagellation aside--I can't do much with him while he's lame except work on his insistence that something is determined to EAT HIM. The world is full of monsters to Zhak--to hear him tell it anyway. He's reactive-gets it from his dam, an arab who thoroughly believes in saber-toothed butterflies. So, I will start atonement for my sins of the past.
Saber-toothed butterflies--BEWARE!!
Sunday, August 31, 2008
Tuesday, August 19, 2008
International headaches
I volunteer and consult with an international medical group. Recently, we've had a couple of teenagers here for surgeries--both facial. One from Columbia--she was severely burned in a house fire at about a year old and is now 16. Our government gave us heck on getting her here-she has relatives here, she knows how to speak English, she LIKES it here, and we have ENOUGH Columbians here, thank you very much. What they don't realize is, she has a boyfriend there that she adores, family that she's close to, and a life that she doesn't want to leave. Visiting here is great, but she's not interested in a full-time residency.
The other kid is a totally different story--she's from Ghana. Daddy is a pentecostal minister, mom is a full-time mom, she's the only natural child, but they've taken in 4 others--which happens a lot in Africa these days. Total family support is about $150/month. Comparatively, they're middle-class. Then about age 6, she develops a mass above her right eye. Slowly it grows and pushes that eye out and down as it destroys the bone beneath and behind it. But she retains some of the eyesight.
An eye doctor gets behind the case and starts pushing her church officials to find help at an international level. That's where we got involved. The surgery has been done--the tumor is gone. She can still see. They had to fabricate a new piece of skull for that part of her face. We're still working on the plastic surgery part. She'll never look quite right--but she looks far better than she did, and, hey, that stinking tumor would have killed her in not too much more time. We feel blessed now. It took 22 hours of surgery to get it out.
So what's the headaches? I'm herding cats. The eye doctor from Ghana is coming into Atlanta and he wants to meet the surgical team--who has two separate offices which aren't anywhere NEAR the airport or each other, the mother and daughter are dying to see him, AND the eye doctor wants to talk to me about the organization coming to Ghana to work. All in 6 hours. In Atlanta's notorious downtown traffic. This is going to be a riot. I'm not sure they make enough ibuprofen.
The good things? I get to meet all kinds of really neat, interesting people who are having an impact on world health--and who aren't just sitting on their asses bitching and moaning. It's exciting. I have the opportunity to learn about other cultures and see other places in the world that other people haven't even thought about--much less wanted to go see. I participate in making the lives of these kids really demonstrably BETTER so they can live healthier lives. I cooperatively work with some of the very best in healthcare in this country who do this because of their love of humanity and faith in their Maker is like mine. Nobody works for money--we do it for the joy. It's the biggest rush there is.
The other kid is a totally different story--she's from Ghana. Daddy is a pentecostal minister, mom is a full-time mom, she's the only natural child, but they've taken in 4 others--which happens a lot in Africa these days. Total family support is about $150/month. Comparatively, they're middle-class. Then about age 6, she develops a mass above her right eye. Slowly it grows and pushes that eye out and down as it destroys the bone beneath and behind it. But she retains some of the eyesight.
An eye doctor gets behind the case and starts pushing her church officials to find help at an international level. That's where we got involved. The surgery has been done--the tumor is gone. She can still see. They had to fabricate a new piece of skull for that part of her face. We're still working on the plastic surgery part. She'll never look quite right--but she looks far better than she did, and, hey, that stinking tumor would have killed her in not too much more time. We feel blessed now. It took 22 hours of surgery to get it out.
So what's the headaches? I'm herding cats. The eye doctor from Ghana is coming into Atlanta and he wants to meet the surgical team--who has two separate offices which aren't anywhere NEAR the airport or each other, the mother and daughter are dying to see him, AND the eye doctor wants to talk to me about the organization coming to Ghana to work. All in 6 hours. In Atlanta's notorious downtown traffic. This is going to be a riot. I'm not sure they make enough ibuprofen.
The good things? I get to meet all kinds of really neat, interesting people who are having an impact on world health--and who aren't just sitting on their asses bitching and moaning. It's exciting. I have the opportunity to learn about other cultures and see other places in the world that other people haven't even thought about--much less wanted to go see. I participate in making the lives of these kids really demonstrably BETTER so they can live healthier lives. I cooperatively work with some of the very best in healthcare in this country who do this because of their love of humanity and faith in their Maker is like mine. Nobody works for money--we do it for the joy. It's the biggest rush there is.
Sunday, August 17, 2008
The photograph
For any who might be interested--yes, that is one of my horses, and yes, I took the photo. It happens to be my half-tarpan, half-arab stallion, WP Asher aka "Buddy" and the camera was a digital. Buddy was just in the yard on a picket line grazing that day and I decided that he needed his picture taken. (We're still working out the details of who is in charge when I'm astride--it's okay that I'm up there--he just doesn't see the point in my having anything to do with decision-making--especially if the girls come to watch! He's not ugly about it-just doesn't see the point.)
And, yes, we'll entertain thoughts of his being a dad--if the right mare comes along. So far, none has although he swears she has--several times. He wishes his mom wasn't so darn picky.
And, yes, we'll entertain thoughts of his being a dad--if the right mare comes along. So far, none has although he swears she has--several times. He wishes his mom wasn't so darn picky.
Bucked off
Thursday of last week, my gelding-whom I raised since he was 4 months old, fulfilled what must have been a lifelong ambition--he tossed my butt. Not that I particularly blame him--I was attempting to mount bareback and
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