Need to Chat With Someone!

I have been home all day keeping an eye on the horses. They broke out again last night. From their carefully placed fertilizer piles I estimate that they were out anywhere from 4 to 6 hours. Since our grass has turned green I have been restricting their intake of the high-carb sweet grass and had recently gone from a scant three hours a day to just over an hour.  (Good reason to break out, say the boys!) Pippin foundered before I bought him, so I am extra vigilant with him when spring arrives. (For my non-horsey friends, founder - technically called laminitis - is an inflammation of the layers of the hoof. It is very painful and in severe cases can require euthanizing the horse. For reasons that are unclear, overindulgence in high carb foods is just one of the causes of laminitis.) The horses had gobbled enough grass that they weren't even hungry until after noon - unheard of! Anyway, I've been checking for heat in their feet and for a radial pulse - darn near impossible to feel anything in their thick furry fat fetlocks! They've had some Bute, just in case their little tootsies are experiencing any beginning signs of inflammation, and I've hosed their feet a few times for the same reason. They are acting perfectly normal, now, and are looking for dinner. I'll watch them over the next few days just to be sure.

 D'ya think if I water him, he'll grow bigger?

The impatient patient tries out a new way 

to wear his halter...

just for something to do!
I believe he is saying,
"I'd rather be eating grass!"

So, like a mom who is stuck with the kids all day, it would be fun to 'get out' and chat with some other folks. The horses aren't the best conversationalists!

So, Patrice has invited all of us to Chats on the Farmhouse Porch at her blog, Everyday Rurality. She asks:

1. What was the last big gathering you attended? (wedding, funeral, party, etc)
I went to see "The Hunger Games" on Saturday with 6 other friends from a book club. That group wasn't very large... but the theater was almost full - does that count? Other than that, I would have to say a Christmas party that I went to for the volunteers from the therapeutic riding program.

2. Do you switch over your seasonal wardrobe, wear the same things year round, have a huge closet to put it all in, or throw everything out and buy new each season (Patrice only put that in to see if people are paying attention!)
Most of the clothes I own are in the closet (yes, my closet is large... but not huge!) Colorado weather is so changeable that I often will wear some summer clothes - at least short sleeve shirts - year round. And, during the summer, we might have chilly weather and need sweaters or jackets. The thing that I find secretly amusing, and somewhat demeaning, is that when the season changes it takes me a while to remember what I have and what goes with what.

3. What sweetener do you use most often?
I drink diet cokes sweetened with Aspartane. I used to use no-calorie sweeteners with my coffee, but my dentist felt that was contributing to tooth decay problems - so I do use raw sugar in my coffee.

4. Slippers, socks, or barefoot?
Absolutely NO slippers. I don't like 'hot' feet and cold ankles! In the winter... socks. When it is warm....barefoot.

5. Patrice wants to know what questions we'd like her to ask the group....
- What is your favorite meal .... and if possible, include a recipe or a link to the recipe!
- What makes the perfect day?

You can join the chat, too. You can respond to my answers or the questions in the comment area, or you can link your blog and answers to Patrice's blog by clicking on the image below.