End of the Month

     It's just a random end of the month rambling for me. Nothing's gotten better yet, and at times I swear it's just getting worse.  Heidi's just as badly itchy as she's been all summer.  Hope failed to take to Corbin so no Tort litter, Terra didn't take to Count so no Chocolates, but Terra was rebred and I still have Marie due to Count for a chocolate litter.  At least Marcie gave me a blue litter. 
     It was a fail with Heidi on the gullet change, plus bit change. I'm hoping going to Tamarack helps.  It'll mean no more grain, straight hay.  If that doesn't help I'll have to figure out how to go for full board, and get a prescription for the AniHist and get her back on that.  I am not ready or set up to do this, she needs a full blood panel done so maybe I can pinpoint her allergy.  Maybe next year.  I hate the idea of pulling out a loan to get her a blood panel.  Time for me to start pinching pennies so I can take lessons and have a trainer put a lesson or two a week on Heidi as well. 
     And I have to get Christmas past.  With any luck I can get a few things done.  It might mean working some over time to get everything past.  I'm going to have to take a deep and good look through my rabbits, see what I can and will get rid of and take my numbers down so moving out will be easier. 
     The last touch base is Jess and Ayden.  I don't know what happened but I slept with Ayden on the bed the other night and I slept so badly and had the worst sinus headache when I work up.  I think it's time to find a ear/nose/throat specialist and see what can be done.  I never had a problem with dogs before and I don't know why this has been so bad this time around.  I don't have an issue with Lisa's girls, granted they're shelties, and then Lady a Sheltie cross(probably beagle with the way she sounds!).  Well after two ugly nights at work, I had two so-so days off(I did get to ride a little bit- as depressing as it came out).  Now I'm settling down, watching movies and enjoying the remainder of my night before going back to Nestle.
     Time to get back to going after the job search.  I want and NEED to get away from Nestle.  I want something more interesting to do work wise. 

Ranting off

     I'm just ranting off at this point, a whole 5 day weekend, and most of the days were gorgeous, and I didn't even touch Heidi.  I just didn't have time. I have yet to order her new gullet bar, I figured I had enough stuff coming in the mail this week.  I know I've worked hard but everything's finally paying off.  Now to fix my truck- I finally busted one of my own brake lines.  At least it's an easy fix, something dad and I can do.  Hopefully this coming weekend so I can take my truck to go get some hay.  On Friday I lose the Roark's old pasture and I'll be down to just mine for the remaining 2 weeks before Heidi moves to Tamarack. Maybe I'll splurge a little this coming Sunday and go to BN and get a couple books or something.  Not that I *need* anymore books I have to deal with half the books I got now. I do need to finish up the Xanth novels and get them caught up more so I can read them than anything, plus the last Unicorn Chronicles book- The Last Hunt.  At least with the Xanth books I can put those in my lunch pail and read them at work. Pick-a-spot any spot and start, they're more for humor than anything else.
     I can at least go back into work knowing I have 3 more job applications in.  1 in Lexington, 1 down near Bluegrass Station and 1 in Winchester.  I'm thinking more and more about the rabbits and saying time to cut them down to make moving easier!  This way if I do happen to get either the Winchester or the Lexington job I can move closer to the job at some point.  Harsh winter is what I've been hearing and if it means plenty of snow I hate driving in the snow down here.  I'm afraid of someone hitting me.  Though by means, I have to get the shoulder looked at, week and a half ago(it was Oct 11th) when the four system kept going down, between hauling and moving 50pound bags of the additives for the dough we got stuck moving bagged flour as well which I think is where I wrenched the shoulder.  I'm hoping to work that out soon.  Maybe find a message place and get it worked on.
     It's a tad after 10am so I have to get moving but, out of 2 does due this weekend, only one is nesting, Marcie my ever dependable bloodline for producing.  If Hope doesn't produce this weekend then I'll be swapping her with Keisha since Keisha is now bred- and Keisha's the dependable producing bloodline. 

Ramble Onwards!

     Just a random ramble.  Been doing much thinking while I was out in the woods today.  I think I'm going to have several bunnies that are now ready for meating out to get them out of the barn.  I want to empty a few cages and start improving, yet cutting down at the same time. 
     I bred Keisha again, I thought I had grabbed Natalie, I had the mother & daughter out together in the x-pen, grabbed one that I thought was Natalie and plopped her in with Michelangelo and watched them breed 3 times before I decided to go grab the other steel doe out of the x-pen and realized the one I left behind was Natalie.  Crap.  Well Keisha was game for being bred so maybe get a couple more nice babies out of her. So Natalie's going to wait now until after a couple of the other does kindle their litters before I re-breed her.  Gives her the shot at the Specialty show in 4 weeks along side her sister Connie.  I can't wait for the specialty show in November.  I am hoping I can get a nice blue buck while I am there.  I'm crossing my fingers!!  I don't know what breeders are going to be there, I know Alexus Grecoe will be and that's who I got Rafik from to start with.  Hopefully she has some nice blues for me to pick through while I am there.
     I've been thinking here I am about to demolish my blues in hope of rebuilding them.  I have two very nice typed does with Alura and Trinity that are unrelated to the rest of my stock so putting an unrelated buck should be a HUGE plus to my blue program.   Good, good is all I can think.  Now to just get my torts back under control!  I'll do my best to cull through them and pull the very best of the bunch.   I know Della's staying, Faith and Hope without fail will stay.  I have to go through the bucks and get the cull bunch at least listed down.  I'm still torn between Dylan and Toby and I will pull through with Corbin and try to decide. 
     On a totally random coincidence, Having Jess here is driving me a bit batty, so far so good I haven't gotten totally insane.  I wasn't sleeping last week due to a bad sinus infection- I'm back on antibiotics to fight it back down, but I do know I am a little freaked out cause when I went into the office(thankfully Morehead's branch has walk in clinic) my blood pressure was way up.  I'm normally at the bottom end of the normal range.  It was high 140/103.  Little freaked out.  I haven't bothered try to see what it is now but I probably should.  I need to go to bed early because of the fact that I'll be up as early as possible so I can get my resume over to the vet's office to see if I can get a better job with him than Nestle.  I really think it's something in the dough room that doesn't help the sinus' in any way shape or form.  I've done butted heads hard enough with first shift and I'm doing everything possible to not completely lose my temper with them.  There's next to no one that I trust there and the few that I do trust I don't know how far I'm going to trust them. 
     And the last random thing for me for tonight is Heidi.  She's getting fat again.  So I need to order the last gullet bar for the saddle.  I have a new bit coming in and hopefully it helps at least a little bit.  If it comes in tomorrow I will be bridling up for a little bit!  I want to try it out.  With any luck it'll solve quite a few of my problems. 
     And to end this with, a picture of my chunky monkey:

Long stop change.

     Well Honey found her forever home last Sunday, almost a week ago.  While part of me was sad to see such a sweet little mare go, I know it was for the better.  She needed someone that could spend the time with her and other horses that wouldn't beat her up. 

     Her hock looked awesome by the time she found her home.  She was still completely sound and everything. 

     She has such a sweet face.  Heidi was being ugly with her and with Honey gone Heidi has settled back down. 

     After the long horrid work week that we've had if felt good to get out and just groom Heidi and Phoenix this morning.  Heidi seriously enjoyed it, then she walked the field with me and Phoenix even ran towards us at one point.  So the rain we got the other day seems to have softened up the ground so he's not so gimpy!  Today marks 3 weeks until Heidi moves to Tamarack, and this weekend I will be working on getting her insurance coverage for the year that she's out(I may not need the full year but, it only comes in one year policies).  So then she'll be ready to go. 
     I do have a 'new' bit coming in for her.  It's a bit too pricey to buy one brand new but it's supposed to in a lightly used condition.  It's a Myler D-ring, so hopefully.   Myler's are supposed to be the best of the best out there.  I bought it used and it was still $51 dollars including shipping.  Hopefully it'll help.  By the time that it gets here my 5-day weekend will almost all over but I'm hoping to at least get out once and try it.  I'm hoping it helps!  Too expensive for that!! 
     The bunnies are moving the right direction, I have a few bred out to get rid of a few others. So hopefully I can get them done right!

Just some more mental ponderings!

     Had Heidi out for a good ride today.  It was actually a lot more relaxing than normal, we went out around the hay field and Alfie's for a good change of pace.  I was quite thrilled with her, being a bit of a butt head but I think I'll try to find her another bit, either something with a small port or a French link.  Something that will take the pressure off her tongue and she'll be nicer about the bridle. 

Fall Foliage behind us!

     So now I'm going to look at some bit in my magazines since Rachel ditched talking to me to talk to someone else instead. See what I think I should try, low port or French link.  I wonder what she'll think of the change in bit. 
     I'm hopeful to have Honey placed by Court Days.  I have one person that I'm going to email back tomorrow and hopefully they'll come pick her up this coming Sunday. 
     The rabbits are settling some.  I'm waiting to sell a couple more tomorrow morning- I've been waiting for the cull buyer, if he doesn't sell them at Lucasville this weekend, he'll keep them and sell them over Court Day weekend.  That's fine by me, saves me from having to put them in then out every night over the weekend myself. I've got almost the last of what I need to bring in, short of a nice blue buck. 

Not sure what to think or do

      Well I knew today was going to be ugly weather at some point, but after all my running around errands were done I went ahead and put Heidi's saddle on and got some trotting work done.  She needs the exercise to help build her stamina and fitness before we really get working this winter.  She was good, she was learning some more lunging etiquette. 

     She was fabulous other than the first 10 minutes or so where she almost ripped my arms out of their sockets.  I had brought the short dressage whip back with me this time and I use that to tap my boot so she can hear it.  For a while she kept bolting but eventually calmed down, she's got a very nice big uphill canter! 

     With any luck I can start selling down some of the rabbits as Court Days comes up and cut them down and out!  I can't wait!  Soon, Soon.  It's exciting!  I can't wait to get my rabbit back down to a controllable number.  It'll be nice to have just a few of them.  I'll probably have to.

     On to some more disturbing news, Jess and Patty were kicked out of Lori's house.  Patty's perfectly fine going to live with her folks but Jess does not want to.   so In 2 weeks Dad and I are going to go up and pick her and her stuff up.  Well actually I guess it's just dad, he'll need the second seat to put Jess and Ayden in.  Jess will have to get a job VERY quickly and get a place of her own even if Ayden has to stay here with me.  It'll be a LOT of extra stress on both dad and myself with our two paychecks having to support all 4 of us.  She'll need to use the car until she can get her own.  So very frustrating. 

Swinging

     I've been having some of the worst emotional mood swings I've had in a LONG time.  It's insanely crazy.  I steam it all from Nestle.  I'm fine the whole weekend long- my 5 days off- and then come back to work and it's just an ugly mess.  Last night I kept quiet, back against the wall between making my prebatch and my mind zoned out and very clearly elsewhere.  It drifted to the rabbits for most of the night.  With the government shutdown thing going on there does make me wonder when will it affect me, what will happen, Should I prepare?  A lot of things are confusing still and I'm not sure I want anything to do with it.  Why can't they just fold and get it over with so we can put a temp in there until we get it all figured out?  I know it's not that simple but it's just frustrating.  I know too many good friends of mine that are at some level federal employees and they were just furloughed indefinitely until they do get it all figured out.  The one is working for an IOU basically.  Seriously not right. How can they expect her to pay her bills if they don't pay her, other companies won't take IOU's.  Seriously messed up.
     On the rabbit front I keep telling myself I need to keep Shelly, she's too nice a doe to go anywhere.  To keep her means to cut from somewhere else.  I'm not sure where that's going to be just yet. But I do have the intentions to keep her right now and if that means getting rid of some of the chocolates then so be it.
     I, thankfully, have one job lead.  The vet warned me, he said that vet that's looking for someone is an asshole.  I looked at him with a straight face and replied, "it'll be easier to work for one asshole than a bunch of assholes".  He retorted he's heard that from a LOT of Nestle employees.  Gee at least we're not the only ones that can't stand this place.  It's a sad thing to think that people can't stand to work at this place and yet we all still do because the pay is so good(dad doesn't think so but it's lower than what he made before, way higher than I made in the past).  My only fear about leaving this place is the health insurance and not making enough to keep Heidi at Tamarack all winter.  I'm still toying with the idea of going full board with her.  $450 a month is still cheap for full board.  But right now I fear with coming into the later parts of the year that I won't be able to make it because we spend part if not half of December on unemployment.  I'm hoping to save up enough money starting this coming paycheck to give me a mild cushion going into the early winter months. 
     I am still so worried about moving Heidi to boarding.  I just have never done something like this because I'm so used to taking care of my own.  Still trying to wrap my head around it.  Right now it's time for Nestle-hell.